Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Dr. Sunny Malhotra offers comprehensive cardiology care tailored to address your heart health concerns at every stage of life. Services include the following:

Preventive Cardiology: Early intervention aimed at minimizing risk factors such as high cholesterol and hypertension.
Cholesterol Management: Personalized treatments with diet modification, lifestyle changes, and medicines based on the severity.
Stress Testing and Monitoring: tests how your heart functions under physical stress to help diagnose underlying disorders.
Long-term Care Plans: Monitoring and Support of Chronic Conditions, Heart Failure, and Post-cardiac event care.

Dr. Malhotra combines medical expertise with a personalized approach to ensure you receive the highest standard of care.

A cardiac consultation is a comprehensive evaluation developed to assess your heart‘s health and address any symptoms you might be experiencing. Such a session involves a medical history review, a discussion of lifestyle factors with the cardiologist, and a complete physical examination. Based on the need, the diagnostic tests ordered may include an electrocardiogram (EKG) or echocardiogram.
This consultation is essential if you are experiencing symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or have a family history of heart disease. The sooner that it’s detected and managed, the more serious the condition is lessened.

Preventive cardiology is the prevention of heart disease through knowledge of the risk factors of having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, smoking, and stress.
This service often includes personalized lifestyle recommendations, such as diet plans, exercise routines, and stress management techniques. Medications may also be prescribed if necessary. Regular screenings and monitoring are key components of preventive care, helping to minimize your risk of heart attacks, strokes, and other complications.

Our clinic provides advanced diagnostic tests to assess heart health, including:

Electrocardiograms: To measure the electrical activity of your heart.
Echocardiograms: An ultrasound of your heart to check for any structural issues.
Stress Testing: It monitors your heart function during physical activity or with medication-induced stress.
Holter Monitoring: A portable device that records your heart rhythms over 24-48 hours.
Blood Tests: To check your cholesterol levels, markers of inflammation, and other heart-related indicators. These tests help point to underlying issues and guide effective treatment plans.

Preparation varies with each specific test:
Stress tests should be taken in loose-fitting clothing and on an empty stomach, having not eaten too much before coming to the center
Blood work requires fasting from 8 to 12 hours before the test is conducted.
You will be fully prepared as the team schedules your appointment. 

Most diagnostic tests are non-invasive and cause minimal to no discomfort. For example, EKGs and echocardiograms are painless. Stress tests may involve physical exertion, but they are carefully supervised. If you‘re anxious about any test, our team will guide you through the process and ensure your comfort.

Heart failure results when the heart is unable to pump blood efficiently, bringing with it symptoms such as fatigue, shortness of breath, and swelling in the legs or abdomen.
Treatment encompasses the use of medications including:
Diuretics, ACE inhibitors, or beta-blockers
Lifestyle changes, which include a low-sodium diet, fluid management, and physical activity
Monitoring through regular follow-ups with tracking of symptoms and treatment alteration.
Advanced treatments, such as implantable devices or surgeries, may be considered in severe cases.

Common symptoms include:
-Shortness of breath that persists for more than a few days, especially when lying flat or during physical activity.
-Swelling in the feet, ankles, or abdomen.
-Fatigue or weakness.
-Confusion or difficulty concentrating.

Early detection of these signs enables prompt treatment and more favorable outcomes.

High cholesterol causes plaques in the arteries, known as atherosclerosis. The risk for heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular conditions will be significantly increased.
Controlling cholesterol is all about lowering bad LDL cholesterol and either maintaining or raising good HDL cholesterol. This requires regular monitoring of cholesterol levels, so an early intervention can be made.

Controlling cholesterol means using the following techniques:

Lifestyle Changes: Heart healthy diet with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and reduced saturated fats and trans fats.
Regular Physical Activity: At least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week.
Medications: Statins, PCSK9 inhibitors, or other drugs depending upon your cholesterol levels and other risk factors.
Regular follow-ups guarantee that your treatment plan works and is adjusted if necessary.

Well, natural interventions are so effective at reducing cholesterol that include:

Consume more fiber in the form of oat products, beans, and fruits.
Take less processed and fried foods
Take healthful fats from avocados, nuts, and olive oil
Exercise regularly, such as walking, swimming, or pedaling
In some cases though, medications are to be supplemented to achieve the best possible results.

Some of the major recommendations are:
Diet: Focus on whole, unprocessed foods and avoid added sugars and salts.
Exercise: Regular physical activity such as brisk walking or yoga.
Smoking Cessation: Quit smoking to cut down your heart disease risk drastically.
Stress Management: Mindfulness, meditation, or other relaxation techniques.
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POTS, or Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, is a condition of the autonomic nervous system that involves an abnormal increase in heart rate when changing from sitting or lying down to standing. This can lead to dizziness, lightheadedness, and fainting. In POTS, the most common issue is with the regulation of blood flow, which may lead to discomfort and disruptions in life.

Symptoms that manifest in POTS are numerous, such as rapid heart rate, dizziness, fainting, extreme fatigue, headaches, brain fog, nausea, and shortness of breath. Most of these symptoms worsen following an extended period of standing, dehydration, or exposure to heat; hence, they can dramatically influence an individual‘s quality of life.

Although there is no cure for POTS, treatment primarily focuses on managing symptoms. The most common interventions include lifestyle modifications such as increasing salt and fluid intake, wearing compression garments to improve blood flow, enrolling in a physical reconditioning program, and medications such as beta-blockers or vasoconstrictors. Individualized treatment plans are essential for successfully managing POTS.