The heart is a muscular fist shaped organ, which regulates blood throughout the body for its oxygen and vital nutrient requirements. Coronary arteries act as a fuel pipe line to supply blood and vital nutrients to the heart muscles.
Right Coronary Artery Blockage
There are three major arteries
- Left anterior descending coronary artery.
- Circumflex coronary artery.
- Right coronary artery.
Right coronary artery (RCA) supplies blood to the left ventricle and to the right ventricle.
Right coronary artery blockage is caused by atherosclerosis or plaques, when atherosclerosis affects the coronary arteries it is known as coronary artery disease. or CAD.
Symptoms Of Right Coronary Artery Blockage
- Pain in the chest which may be pin pricking in nature, pain may be felt on exertion, while exercising or at rest.
- Breathlessness.
- Tight feeling in chest.
- Radiating pain in left arm and occasionally in right arm.
- If the blockage is complete, pain may be excruciating and may be a sign of heart attack. Sweating, low blood pressure, vomiting, pale face with blue lips and nails may be signs of heart attack.
Coronary Artery Disease Risk Factors
- Hypertension.
- Raised cholesterol especially LDL.
- Smoking
- Diabetes.
- Obesity.
- Lack of exercise.
- Stress and strain.
Coronary Artery Blockage Treatment
Treatment consists of:
- Medication
- Interventional
- Surgery
- Modifying life style.
Medications include: Medicine to control hypertension, medicine to lower cholesterol, blood thinning agent, control of diabetes and medicine to dilate the artery.
Interventional:
- If the blockage in right coronary artery is more and the symptoms suggest of impending heart attack, angioplasty is performed. Here a stent is introduced in the right coronary vessel which compresses the blockage and eases blood flow in the artery.
Surgery:
- If there are more blockages involved in other arteries as well CABG (coronary artery bypass grafting) surgery is performed. Here the blockage in the RCA is bypassed with a blood vessel taken from thigh or hand of the patient’s body.
Life style change and stress management are valuable complementary therapies for treating right coronary artery blockage.