Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease Causes
How We Can Help You
Our doctors specialize in treating obstructive coronary artery disease and restoring blood flow to your heart. We care for a wide range of blockages, from the common to the complex. To ensure the most appropriate care, we often use a special test that we helped pioneer to evaluate each blockage. If you need more than medication, we provide minimally invasive treatment guided by advanced imaging.
We primarily treat obstructive coronary artery disease through the Stanford Interventional Cardiology Program.
WHAT WE OFFER YOU FOR OBSTRUCTIVE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE
- Internationally recognized expertise in obstructive disease, with doctors who trained under a leader in their field and have years of experience.
- State-of-the-art diagnostic tools that pinpoint the cause of chest pain, heart attacks, and other related heart problems.
- Team-based planning, including weekly meetings that bring together specialists from interventional cardiology, cardiac surgery, and imaging.
- Minimally invasive approaches, including specialized procedures that access affected arteries through the wrist and allow patients to go home the same day.
- Advanced treatment options, including angioplasty with the latest stents, minimally invasive bypass surgery, and a hybrid approach that combines the best of both.
- Experience caring for women, who are more likely to have chest pain with normal coronary arteries and who experience heart attacks differently than men.
- Comprehensive services, including lifestyle advice and genetic counseling. Our psychological support program for heart care is one of the nation’s largest.
Interested in an Online Second Opinion?
The Stanford Medicine Online Second Opinion program offers you easy access to our world-class doctors. It’s all done remotely, and you don’t have to visit our hospital or one of our clinics for this service. You don’t even need to leave home!
Visit our online second opinion page to learn more.
Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease
Treatment for Obstructive Coronary Artery Disease
Our team approach brings together the expertise of cardiologists, surgeons, and other specialists to tailor treatment to your specific needs.
We use cardiac catheterization to look for narrowed or blocked arteries and to determine their severity and urgency. To make sure we only fix what needs fixing, we also use a specialized wire technique called fractional flow reserve (FFR) that we helped pioneer. If needed, we may look inside your arteries using devices that create images through sound and light waves, devices many programs do not yet offer.
In addition to the treatments below, we offer specialized care services for women and individuals of South Asian descent through the Women's Heart Health Clinic and the South Asian Translational Heart Initiative.
Each week our experts conduct a team review of complex cases to identify the best treatment options
Lifestyle Changes and Medication
Our doctors may determine that medication alone is enough to treat your coronary artery disease. We may also recommend ways to control the risk factors that can lead to coronary artery disease, such as:
- Switching to a low-fat diet, with help from our dieticians
- Exercising and losing weight, if needed
- Quitting smoking
- Controlling blood sugar
- Optimizing blood pressure
- Reducing blood cholesterol levels
Minimally Invasive Procedures
Our doctors are leaders in minimally invasive procedures using thin tubes called catheters, which are threaded into an artery. When possible, we start at the radial artery in your wrist, a newer approach that reduces complications, improves comfort, and potentially sends you home the same day. Our procedures avoid open-heart surgery and include:
- Diagnostic imaging and physiologic testing, including fractional flow reserve, intravascular ultrasound (IVUS), and optical coherence tomography (OCT)
- Coronary angioplasty, often with tiny, expandable mesh tubes called stents
- Hybrid coronary revascularization, combining the best features of angioplasty and surgery
Surgery
Sometimes, surgery represents your best option for restoring blood flow to your heart. The doctors in our Heart Surgery Clinic are internationally recognized for their work bypassing restricted arteries. When possible, we use a minimally invasive approach for coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).
Recovery and Wellness
After treatment, you may need regular checkups. Our team of cardiologists, nurses, and dieticians provides all possible follow-up care. We may also refer you for cardiac rehabilitation. Our services include one of the country’s largest psychological support programs for heart care. We can help with any emotional distress you may feel after a heart attack or other cardiac experience.
Clinical Trials
Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate a new medical approach, device, drug, or other treatment. As a Stanford Health Care patient, you may have access to the latest, advanced clinical trials.
Open trials refer to studies currently recruiting participants or that may recruit participants in the near future. Closed trials are not currently enrolling, but similar studies may open in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions
We participate in a wide range of insurance plans. View the list of insurance plans accepted by Stanford Health Care
Have insurance or pre-authorization questions? The Patient Financial Clearance team is available Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., to answer your questions. Please call 650-724-4445 or 1-877-291-7335 (toll free).
When choosing a doctor, it is important to consider the doctor’s clinical training, experience, and expertise in a specialized area that matches your health care needs.
You can find the right Stanford doctor for you by using our doctor directory and filtering the results based on a medical category, specialty, or doctor’s last name. View a list of Interventional Cardiology doctors
We offer a number of support services at the Heart and Vascular Center, including a Lifestyle Modification program, support groups, integrative medicine, nutrition services, a health library, and a variety of classes and events. Learn more about our support services
You can call the Interventional Cardiology clinic directly to schedule an appointment with a Stanford Health Care doctor. Call 650-725-2621 to make an appointment.
We constantly search for better ways to protect your heart and blood vessels. The following are some examples of our ongoing clinical innovation.
- Using the radial artery: Programs like ours traditionally reach the heart through an artery in the groin. We were among the first to use the wrist’s radial artery, for greater comfort, less bleeding, and quicker recovery. Many people undergoing angioplasty can safely go home the same day.
- Improving stent treatment: We helped develop and quickly adopted specialized cardiac catheterization testing to measure the pressure and flow of blood and see inside clogged arteries to precisely place stents. We offer the first stent that dissolves after opening your artery, with no metal used or left in your body.
- Combining angioplasty with bypass: Before, blocked arteries often required open-heart surgery when angioplasty was not possible. Our hybrid coronary revascularization provides a new alternative, stenting some arteries and bypassing others. We do not open your chest or stop your heart.
- Advancing valve treatment: We were the first hospital in Northern California to perform transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). We also have extensive experience with transcatheter mitral valve repair (TMVR). We provide options for people who cannot undergo surgery, with the potential to expand these treatments.
- Lowering stroke risk: We were the first center in Northern California to offer the WATCHMAN™ device once it gained FDA approval. We use it for left atrial appendage closure, reducing stroke risk for atrial fibrillation. We plan to study other stroke-reducing devices as they become available.
Yes, Stanford Health Care offers financial assistance for patients who are uninsured or underinsured. Meet with one of our financial counselors to find the best approach to paying for your health care. Financial counselors are available Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. Learn more about financial assistance services
We strive to see new patients within one to two weeks.
Each of our doctors is scheduled to see patients only one day a week in the clinic. Other time obligations include performing procedures, routine patient management, and research and academic commitments.
Managing treatment for heart disease is a highly personalized process. Our care team guides you every step of the way. If your medical records have not yet been received by our office, one of our staff will advise you on how to obtain them, including:
- A complete list of medications and allergies
- Laboratory work within the last year
- Echocardiogram and/or stress test (report and CD)
- Open heart surgery report
Managing treatment for heart disease is a highly personalized process. Our care team guides you every step of the way. If your medical records have not yet been received by our office, one of our staff will advise you on obtaining them, including:
- A complete list of medications and allergies
- Laboratory work within the last year
- Echocardigram and/or stress test (report and CD)
- Open heart surgery report
Palo Alto Location
The Interventional Cardiology Clinic is located at the following address. Self-parking options are available for a fee. For more information, please see:
Heart and Vascular Center - Heart Clinic 1
300 Pasteur Drive
3rd Floor, Room A31
Stanford, CA 94305
Phone: 650-725-2621
Please plan to arrive 30 minutes prior to your appointment time due to construction near the main hospital campus. This will allow you plenty of time to park, locate your clinic, and complete any additional paperwork.
Please print, fill out, and return the Medical Record Release Form to your new patient coordinator. The medical release form is an authorization form for external facilities to release medical records to Stanford Health Care.
Please call our clinic receptionists at 650-725-2621. They are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to help you with rescheduling or canceling your appointment.
Always feel free to bring someone with you to your appointments. A family member or friend can help ask questions, remember the information your care team gives you, and provide support.
By California state law, you must let your care team know that you would like to record your conversation if you would like help remembering your discussion with your care team.
Write down your questions before your appointment and rank them in order of importance, beginning with the most important ones. If there is not enough time to have all of your questions answered during your appointment, ask your doctor who you can speak with to get your remaining questions answered.
You have multiple options when it comes to paying your bill.
- Pay Online:
- You can log in to MyHealth or the MyHealth mobile app to see and pay your bill.
Already have an account but need help logging in?
Contact the MyHealth Help Desk
- You can also pay as a guest to pay your bill without logging in.
- Pay by mail:
- Stanford Health Care
P.O. Box 740715, Los Angeles, CA 90074-0715
Los Angeles, CA 90074-0715
- Stanford Health Care
- Pay by Phone:
- You can call our Patient Billing Customer Service Office
1-800-549-3720.
- You can call our Patient Billing Customer Service Office
For our latest business hours and for more information about billing, visit our Billing page.
We offer a number of support services at the Heart and Vascular Center, including a Lifestyle Modification program, support groups, integrative medicine, nutrition services, a health library, and a variety of classes and events. Learn more about our support services
Please call our clinic receptionists at 650-725-2621. They are available Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. to help you reschedule or cancel your appointment.
To determine if a clinical trial is right for you, talk to your doctor. He or she can refer you to a research coordinator for more information on studies that may be right for your specific condition.
You can also find the guidelines for who can participate in a particular clinical trial online. However, it is best to work with your doctor to decide the right care approach for your needs.
View list of open interventional cardiology clinical trials at Stanford
Many of our programs are available to international patients.
Our International Medicine Services team can help you find the right doctor, estimate medical costs, book travel, and get you information about Stanford programs and services. Please call +1 650-723-8561 or email IMS@stanfordhealthcare.org to get started.
To schedule an appointment, please call: 650-723-6459
Our Clinics
The Stanford Interventional Cardiology program is a leader in diagnosing and treating coronary artery disease, offering minimally invasive procedures and treatments.
300 Pasteur Dr 3rd Fl Rm A31
300 Pasteur Dr3rd Fl Rm A31
Palo Alto, CA 94305
Phone: 650-725-2621 Getting Here