Better understanding
your heart
Articles, prevention tips and explanations on interventions, to address your heart health in confidence.
Heart valve replacement: how long the operation takes, biological or mechanical valve, success rate and cost in Morocco
A heart valve that no longer opens enough, or that leaks, ends up wearing the heart out. When medicines are no longer enough, it is replaced. What happens in the operating room, the choice between a biological and a mechanical valve, the real risks, recovery and the cost in Morocco.
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Infective endocarditis: when an infection attacks a heart valve, and the case of a 24-year-old patient operated on in Tangier
A badly treated sore throat, a dental procedure, a small wound: a bacterium enters the blood and settles on a heart valve. Endocarditis is rare, but it can destroy a valve in a few weeks. The warning signs, the treatment, and a case we published.
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Coronary angiography in Morocco: cost, CNSS coverage, and what happens after the test
A coronary angiography costs between 8,000 and 15,000 dirhams in Morocco, and up to 30,000 to 45,000 dirhams if a stent is placed at the same time. For CNSS members, the test is one of the conditions covered at 100% after prior approval. What drives the price, the steps, and the three possible outcomes.
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Heart surgery in Morocco: how much it costs and how the CNSS covers it
Heart surgery costs between 70,000 and 150,000 MAD depending on the operation. For CNSS members, it is one of the conditions covered at 100%. What makes the price vary, the paperwork, and how to come from another city.
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Rheumatic heart disease: when a poorly treated sore throat damages the valves, and how to stop it
An untreated strep throat leads, three to six times out of a hundred, to an attack of acute rheumatic fever, and that attack can permanently damage a heart valve. It is the leading cause of valve surgery in Morocco, it mainly affects young women, and it is stopped by an injection every three weeks.
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Open-heart surgery: how long it lasts, what really happens, and life afterwards
Three to six hours in the operating theatre, about a week in hospital, six weeks for the breastbone to knit back together. Here is exactly how an open-heart operation unfolds, why the only success rate that counts is the one calculated for you, what makes cardiac surgery in Morocco different, and the signs that should bring you back to hospital after you go home.
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Blocked artery in the leg: calf pain when walking, the tests, stent or bypass
Calf pain that always appears after the same distance and goes away within a few minutes of rest is the first sign of a blocked artery in the leg. Here is how the diagnosis is made, what it says about your heart, and when an operation is genuinely discussed.
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Normal, fast or irregular heart rate: when should you see a doctor?
A racing heart is not necessarily a sick heart, and a calm pulse is not always reassuring. Here is how to tell what is normal, what deserves a consultation and what calls for emergency help.
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Cardiologist or cardiac surgeon in Tangier: who should you see, and when?
Both look after the heart, but they come in at different stages. Here is how to know which one to turn to, and why most patients end up seeing both.
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After coronary angiography: stent or bypass, how is the next step decided?
A coronary angiogram does not just show the state of your arteries, it steers the whole treatment. Here are the three possible outcomes and the criteria that tip the balance towards a stent or towards a bypass.
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Severe aortic stenosis: symptoms, life expectancy and when to operate
Narrowing of the aortic valve progresses silently for years, then everything changes once the first symptoms appear. Understanding that turning point is understanding why the timing of the operation counts as much as the operation itself.
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Signs of a heart emergency: recognize and react quickly in Tangier
Chest pain, sudden breathlessness, feeling faint or palpitations: learn to recognise the signs of a cardiac emergency and what to do, so you call the emergency services without losing a minute.
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Recovering from a coronary bypass: your week-by-week guide in Tangier
Recovery after a coronary bypass follows clear, predictable stages. Here is a reassuring guide, week by week, from intensive care through to getting back to your usual activities.
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Minimally invasive heart surgery in Tangier: answers to your frequently asked questions
Operate the heart without opening the sternum, with a small lateral incision: Dr.Tber, a cardiovascular surgeon in Tangier, answers your questions about minimally invasive heart surgery clearly.
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Prevention of stroke and carotid stenosis: testing and treatment in Tangier
Carotid stenosis is a major cause of stroke, and often a silent one. Understanding the risk factors, Doppler ultrasound screening and the FAST warning signs is what lets you act in time.
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Aortic aneurysm: understanding a silent disease, and getting screened for it in Tangier
An aortic aneurysm often develops without a single sign, until it becomes dangerous. Understanding what causes it, how it is screened for and how it is treated is what lets you act in time, and calmly.
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Protecting your heart in Tangier: 7 prevention habits that genuinely make a difference
Nine factors that can be changed explain about 90% of the risk of heart attack. Here are the seven habits that really protect the heart, with figures from the WHO, European cardiologists and the Moroccan national survey.
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