Heart Health: Family History, Warning Signs Important

March 13, 2007 — -- Talk show host Regis Philbin announced on his show Monday that he would be having heart bypass surgery after experiencing shortness of breath and chest pains.

"Good Morning America" medical contributor Dr. Tim Johnson shared his tips for what to watch out for when it comes to heart health.

"Regis is a perfect example of somebody who does the right thing, looks good," Johnson said.

People should be aware of their cholesterol and family history and watch for warning signs such as chest pain or shortness of breath, no matter how well they take care of themselves.

An angioplasty is a relatively simple procedure in which doctors open a balloon in the heart's arteries to get rid of the blockage. Wire mesh is typically left in place to prevent reblockage. Patients often go home the same day or the next day after surgery.

"Bypass surgery involves opening the chest, getting down to the heart, then using veins from the legs or an artery from the chest to bypass the blockage," he said. "You hook it above and below, and the blood flow goes around the blocked area."

Because it's open chest surgery, bypass surgery is much more difficult for the patient -- often requiring many days or up to several weeks to recover.

"There is growing evidence that for at least multiple blockages or complicated blockages, in the long run, the results might be better than trying to do multiple angioplasties," Johnson said.

Patients usually go first to a cardiologist, who is not a surgeon, that specializes in heart disease. Many of them also do angioplasty surgery.

"I suggest to people, when there's an opportunity for a second opinion, to also consult with a heart surgeon or at least a cardiologist who doesn't do the procedure to try and get a nonbiased opinion," Johnson said. "There was a big trend [of] doing more and more angioplasties even in difficult cases … But we're now learning that it may be best to do bypass surgery in terms of long-term results."