Marc Md Gillinov - Heart 411: The Only Guide to Heart Health Youll Ever Need

From the warning signs of an impending heart attack to the cardiac effects of red wine, this book has it all. Gillinov and Nissen engage you with their friendly tone and their patients stories and give you the critical information you need to ensure your heart health. Heart 411 is a must-read.

TOBY COSGROVE, M.D., CEO and president, Cleveland Clinic

Its rare a book so vital to health is also such an engaging and entertaining read. Heart 411 is an invaluable resource, and one that I would recommend everyone add to their reading list.

MARY JOE FERNANDEZ, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist and ESPN and CBS Commentator

As a heart disease survivor, I look for the best information I can find, and Ive found it in Heart 411. It is essential reading for patients like me, as well as those who want to keep their heart healthy. In a world filled with conflicting information, Drs. Gillinov and Nissen separate fact from fiction, providing patients and their families with easy-to-use tools to understand heart disease and find the best possible care. It has become my go-to book!

LARRY KING, CNN talk-show host; founder of the Larry King Cardiac Foundation

Every one of us, no matter how good we feel, faces a risk of heart disease. Heart 411 reveals the secrets you must know to ensure your heart health.

TED DANSON, Emmy Award and Golden Globe Awardwinning performer

A useful anddare I sayfun masterpiece. Reading Heart 411 is like having your own personal consultation with two of the most skilled and compassionate heart doctors on the planet. Gillinov and Nissen provide a delightful blend of the latest research, moving experiences with patients at the renowned Cleveland Clinic, and warmth and humor to show each of us how to live a longer, healthier, and happier life.

ROBERT SUTTON, Stanford professor and author of the New York Times bestsellers Good Boss, Bad Boss and The No Asshole Rule

In the 21st century, we are held to the expectation that health care be safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient, and equitable. Achieving these goals requires the free flow of unbiased information to allow for informed and shared decision-making. With this book, Drs. Gillinov and Nissen provide patients and their families a balanced, evidence-based, and practical view of the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of common cardiovascular diseases. Readers will find it a trustworthy reference to help focus their understanding and navigate the maze of information overload that surrounds us.

PATRICK T. OGARA, M.D., director, Clinical Cardiology, Brigham and Womens Hospital; professor, Harvard Medical School

Preventative care for your cardiac plumbing, and steps to rectify what has gone amiss With an affable thoroughness, the authors inform readers about the world of coronary heart disease. The text is designed so readers can either drop in on a specific topic or extend their understanding by reading the entire chapter to gain the broad, contextual picture. This book is like the doctor of oldwhite coat, black bag, stethoscopeready to counsel from broad experience. So listen and act.

KIRKUS REVIEWS

I commend your dedicated research of the heart. May you continue helping the young and old with this most important study.

Comedian DON RICKLES

Read Heart 411 and you may never have to call 911.

STEVE LAWRENCE and EYDIE GORM, Emmy- and Grammy-winning performers

This book contains general information and advice relating to heart disease. It is not intended to replace personalized medical advice and should be used to inform patients and supplement the regular care of a physician. We strongly recommend that you consult with your doctor about questions and concerns specific to your heart health. The authors and publisher expressly disclaim responsibility for any adverse effects that may result from the use or application of the information contained in this book.

Copyright 2012 by Steven Nissen, M.D., and A. Marc Gillinov, M.D.

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Three Rivers Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com

Three Rivers Press and the Tugboat design are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gillinov, Marc.
Heart 411 : the only guide to heart health youll ever need / Marc Gillinov and Steven Nissen. 1st ed.
p. cm.
1. Coronary heart diseasePopular works. 2. Coronary heart diseaseTreatmentPopular works. 3. Coronary heart diseasePreventionPopular works. I. Nissen, Steven E. II. Title.
RC685.C6G49 2012
616.12dc23 2011034576

eISBN: 978-0-307-71992-8

Cover design by Jen OConnor

v3.1

To my parents, Dr. Sheldon Gillinov and Lynda Gillinov, who provided the guidance, love, and support that enabled me tobecome a doctor. And to my wonderful wife, Lisa, who does it all.

Marc Gillinov, M.D.

To my colleagues in the department of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic, from whom I have learned so much aboutthe science and art of medicine.

Steven Nissen, M.D.

Why me?

Weve heard those words thousands of times, repeated again and again by our heart patients over the years.

Lying in the hospital bed staring at the white ceiling of his cubicle in the Cleveland Clinic coronary care unit, the forty-eight-year-old man didnt have time for a heart attack. He needed to finish a few things at work before leaving to take his son on a whirlwind college tour, planning to hit seven schools in nine days. He had a schedule, but another wave of chest pain brought him back to todays reality. Looking with dread at his already thick hospital chart with our namesNissen and Gillinovemblazoned on the spine, he realized that he was having a heart attack. His plans with his son would have to wait. We had a radically different plan for him.

Had he been able to peer around the corner from his room, he would have seen us, his cardiologist and heart surgeon, conferring. The coronary care unit (CCU) is where we meet. Twenty feet from the bedside, we studied a computer screen that displayed images of the patients coronary arteries. Steve and I easily identified the problemsevere blockages of all three coronary arteries, meaning a trip to the operating room was imperative.