The sudden death of Tim Russert, political analyst for NBC and host of “Meet the Press,” came as a shock to many Americans. Russert, 58, died of a massive heart attack that was caused by the rupture of a cholesterol plaque in an artery, causing sudden coronary thrombosis. The autopsy revealed he also had an enlarged heart.
A stress test had been performed not long before his heart attack and he had performed well. In the wake of his death, people began to wonder what could have been done to prevent his death at such a young age.
Like everybody else, I was pretty shocked by his death and I wanted to know more about what happened. So I spoke with Dr. Richard Blankenbaker, an interventional cardiologist at the Frances Langford Heart Center, and asked him a couple of questions:
Q: What is coronary thrombosis?
A: It is a condition where the blood flow to the heart is blocked by a clot in a coronary artery. In Tim Russert’s case, a cholesterol plaque built up on the inside wall of the artery and then ruptured, exposing cholesterol into the blood stream which leads to formation of blood clots and causes a heart attack.
Q: What is an enlarged heart?
A: As the name suggests, enlarged heart is an increase in the size of the heart. An enlarged heart may be caused by a thickening of the heart muscle because of increased workload. (This increased workload can be due to heart valve disease or high blood pressure, for example). Long-term damage from blocked arteries can also cause an enlarged heart.
Q: How do you prevent heart disease?
A: Atherosclerosis is the process in which deposits of fatty substances – cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and other substances – build up in the inner lining of an artery. This condition develops within us over decades. What happened to Tim Russert is very hard to predict – there is not a single test that shows an imminent plaque rupture – however you can help prevent or reduce the complications related to plaque rupture.
If you have a family history of cardiac diseases, or if you are overweight , have a sedentary life, diabetes, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, you are a candidate for cornary disease or other cardiac disease which can lead to a heart attack. Have routine screenings and get a full check up at least once a year.
While Dr. Blankenbaker points out that there isn’t a test that shows an imminent plaque rupture, there are several tests available that can diagnose potential heart problems. That includes things like a stress test, EKGs, duplex carotid ultrasound, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram.
If you are concerned about cholesterol plaque, you can get a CRP blood test, which analyzes your blood for the presence of substances called C Reactive Proteins. Elevated CRP are indicators of inflammation in the blood. Coronary angiography – a non-invasive test to assess for plaque buildup – is another modality for detection of coronary artery disease in high risk patients.
Talk to your physician or your cardiologist if you have concerns and would like to be tested. If you need a physician, you can call our referral line at (866) 995-HOPE (4673).
--Sophie Sawicki
Marketing Representative
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