Disclaimer: This Inside South Florida segment is sponsored by Broward Health. All opinions and views are of the advertiser and does not reflect the same of WSFL-TV.
Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women. Nearly 700,000 Americans die from it each year — accounting for about 1 in every 5 deaths. One of the most common forms is coronary artery disease, and a South Florida cardiothoracic surgeon says understanding the warning signs and treatment options could save your life.
Dr. Michael Bolanos, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Broward Health Medical Center, joined Inside South Florida to break down what coronary artery disease is, what symptoms to watch for, and what recovery looks like after bypass surgery.
What is coronary artery disease?
Bolanos says coronary artery disease is one of the most common conditions he treats as a cardiothoracic surgeon.
"Basically, what it is is you have plaque that builds up in the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, and that plaque, over time, can cause a narrowing of the artery, and that narrowing can diminish the blood flow to the heart muscle and lead to symptoms," Bolanos said.
Symptoms to watch for
One of the most important things to understand about coronary artery disease, Bolanos says, is that it does not always announce itself.
"Sometimes they're silent. So you don't always get symptoms, but when you do, it can be things such as chest pain, shortness of breath, or maybe difficulty breathing when you exert yourself. People can have fluctuations in their blood pressure, palpitations — kind of a fluttering feeling of their heart," he said.
Bolanos says those symptoms underscore the importance of staying connected with your primary care doctor and cardiologist.
"Really heed their recommendations and listen to them whenever they recommend something, whether it's medicines or more invasive procedures," he said.
What treatment looks like
Bolanos says treatment typically begins with your primary care doctor and cardiologist, who will conduct screening tests and determine the best course of action. If surgery is needed, the decision is made collaboratively.
"That's usually after we have what's called a multidisciplinary discussion, where a surgeon, cardiologists, primary care doctors — we all kind of speak to each other and come up with a great plan that will hopefully relieve your symptoms and prevent you from having any other complications down the road," Bolanos said.
What is bypass surgery?
For patients who have heard the terms triple or quadruple bypass and wondered what they mean, Bolanos offered a clear explanation.
"Bypass is short for coronary artery bypass surgery, or coronary artery bypass grafting — CABG. That's basically where we reroute the blood using blood vessels from other parts of the body as grafts. So we use those to bring blood flow to the heart muscle that has been diminished from those narrowings. And when you hear triple or quadruple, it usually means how many blockages we've bypassed," he said.
Recovery and what to expect
Bolanos says bypass surgery has been performed for many years and has become very safe, despite what people may read or hear online.
"Typically, the surgery is done through dividing the breastbone in the middle. The recovery takes about six to 12 weeks overall, but most people spend about five to seven days in the hospital after surgery," he said.
He encourages patients to view the procedure as an investment.
"Once you have the surgery, your symptoms resolve, and your risk of having complications from that disease are drastically reduced, and we hope that you go on to live a long and healthy life afterwards," Bolanos said.
Dr. Bolanos practices primarily at Broward Health Medical Center, where he performs heart surgery alongside two partners. For more information or to seek care, visit browardhealth.org.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
