Coronary artery disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, affecting millions of people every year. It develops when plaque made of cholesterol, calcium, and inflammatory cells gradually builds up inside the arteries that supply blood to the heart. As these blockages grow over time, they can restrict blood flow and cause chest pain (angina). For many people the disease progresses silently for years before symptoms appear, but a sudden rupture of plaque can block blood flow entirely, triggering a heart attack.
For decades, patients with complex coronary artery disease—particularly those with multiple blockages or heavily calcified arteries—often required open-heart bypass surgery. Advances in cardiovascular medicine and interventional cardiology, however, have transformed how these conditions are diagnosed and treated, dramatically expanding the options available. Today, many complex coronary artery cases can be managed using minimally invasive catheter-based procedures that restore blood flow without major surgery. These techniques allow physicians to reach the coronary arteries through small blood vessels—often through the wrist—treat blockages with specialized tools, and place advanced stents to keep the artery open.
“Interventional cardiology has changed enormously over the past 20 to 30 years,” says Dr. Daniel Sherbet, an interventional cardiologist at CardioVascular Health Clinic. “We now have technologies that allow us to identify disease earlier, treat blockages more precisely, and help patients recover faster than ever before.”
Modern advances are also helping physicians do more than respond to heart attacks. Increasingly, they allow doctors to identify coronary artery disease earlier, treat symptoms sooner, and prevent future cardiac events before they occur.
“We’re not just looking at a simple X-ray image of the artery anymore,” says Dr. Sherbet. “We can use advanced imaging and physiologic testing to evaluate what’s happening inside the vessel itself and determine exactly how it should be treated.”
Technologies such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) provide high-resolution images from inside the artery, allowing physicians to analyze plaque composition, measure the vessel accurately, and guide stent placement with exceptional precision. Physiologic testing can determine whether a narrowing is truly limiting blood flow to the heart muscle, helping cardiologists identify which blockages require intervention and which can be managed safely with medications and lifestyle changes.
“That level of detail allows us to tailor treatment to each patient and even to each individual vessel,” Dr. Sherbet explains. “The more precisely we understand what’s happening in the artery, the better we can treat it and the better the long-term outcome for the patient.”
Together with advances in drug-eluting stents and specialized techniques for treating heavily calcified plaque, these technologies are expanding the number of complex coronary artery cases that can be treated with minimally invasive procedures while helping physicians optimize treatment in real time by reducing complications, lowering the risk of recurrent blockages, and preventing future cardiac events.
For Dr. Sherbet, interventional cardiology is about more than responding to emergencies; it’s also about changing the long-term trajectory of coronary artery disease through precise treatment and ongoing care.
“Heart disease is extremely common, but there are also many effective treatments available today,” he says. “That combination—the number of people who need help and the number of ways we can help them, especially in those critical moments that matter most—is what drew me to interventional cardiology.”
Critical moments like treating a heart attack or restoring blood flow through a severely narrowed artery are only part of the work, and what happens next is just as important. Many of the patients Dr. Sherbet treats go on to require long-term management, where their condition can be monitored, stabilized, and, in many cases, prevented from progressing further, and the ability to move seamlessly from intervention to long-term care is one of the reasons he chose to practice at CardioVascular Health Clinic.
“It’s a very unique place to practice medicine,” he says. “The entire system is designed around what’s best for patients.”
Coronary artery disease rarely exists in isolation. Patients may have disease in multiple coronary vessels or related issues elsewhere in the circulatory system, including the carotid or peripheral arteries, and those initially diagnosed with vascular disease may face an increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Understanding that broader picture can directly influence how and when to intervene.
At CardioVascular Health Clinic, Dr. Sherbet works closely with vascular specialists to evaluate patients more comprehensively, rather than limiting the focus to coronary disease. That collaboration allows for earlier identification of related conditions and helps ensure that treatment decisions account for the full scope of a patient’s cardiovascular health.
“That collaboration allows us to identify related problems earlier and make sure patients receive the right care from the right specialist,” he says.
For patients with complex disease, that kind of coordinated evaluation can lead to more informed decisions and better long-term outcomes.
Advances in interventional cardiology now allow many cases of coronary artery disease to be treated without open surgery. Dr. Sherbet performs these procedures in a dedicated outpatient catheterization laboratory, where care is designed to be efficient and streamlined.
For patients, this often means arriving for a scheduled procedure, undergoing minimally invasive treatment, and returning home the same day.
“Instead of navigating a large hospital system, many patients can drive to the clinic, walk in for their procedure, and go home later the same day,” he explains.
This setting reduces delays and improves access to timely care, an important factor when symptoms can escalate quickly or when early intervention can prevent more serious events.
Coronary artery disease often develops gradually, sometimes without clear symptoms until it becomes advanced. Earlier evaluation creates more opportunities to intervene before a major cardiac event occurs.
Through CardioVascular Health Clinic’s outreach model, Dr. Sherbet evaluates patients across Oklahoma, allowing many to complete initial testing—such as stress tests, echocardiograms, and vascular ultrasounds—closer to home. This makes it easier to investigate symptoms sooner and begin the diagnostic process without delay.
When more advanced treatment is needed, patients can transition to the main clinic for procedures. For those with complex coronary artery disease, this combination of early detection and streamlined access helps reduce the risk of progression and emergency events.
Effective interventional cardiology depends on understanding what’s happening inside the artery, both before and during a procedure. For Dr. Sherbet, that level of detail is critical, especially in complex cases.
Using technologies such as intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT), he can evaluate plaque, measure vessels, and guide stent placement in real time. Physiologic testing further helps determine whether a narrowing is actually limiting blood flow, ensuring that intervention is both necessary and appropriately targeted.
“Those technologies allow us to see exactly what’s happening inside the vessel while we’re performing a procedure,” Dr. Sherbet says. “That level of precision helps us optimize how a stent is placed and how the artery is treated.”
Combined with advanced techniques for treating calcified plaque and the use of drug-eluting stents, these tools allow treatment to be tailored to each patient and each individual lesion.
At the same time, Dr. Sherbet emphasizes balancing innovation with evidence.
“Cardiology is constantly evolving,” he says. “There’s an enormous amount of research being published, and it’s important to understand what truly improves patient care.”
That approach ensures patients benefit from meaningful advancements—through more precise interventions, fewer complications, and improved long-term outcomes—without unnecessary risk.
For patients, symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, or a sudden heart attack can feel frightening and disruptive, instantly change daily life and raise serious concerns about the future. But one of the most important things patients should understand, Dr. Sherbet says, is how much cardiovascular care has advanced.
“Heart disease is much more treatable today than it was even a generation ago,” he says. “With the right diagnosis, the right treatment plan, and good ongoing care, many patients with coronary artery disease can go on to live long, healthy lives.”
For physicians who specialize in interventional cardiology and advanced coronary artery disease, treating life-threatening blockages in the moment can be incredibly rewarding, but Dr. Sherbet says the broader picture is something even more significant: preventing those emergencies from happening at all.
“The real holy grail is identifying patients before they ever have a major event,” he explains.
Advances in laboratory testing and imaging technology are helping physicians identify cardiovascular risk earlier than ever before. Blood-based assessments can flag patients who may be at higher risk for heart disease, while advanced imaging—such as CT scans that detect early plaque buildup—can reveal coronary artery disease before symptoms appear. With this earlier insight, physicians can intervene sooner through lifestyle changes, medications, and careful monitoring, often addressing developing blockages before they progress into advanced or complex coronary artery disease that could lead to a heart attack.
“The earlier we identify a problem, the more options we have to treat it and prevent it from getting worse,” Dr. Sherbet says. “That’s one of the most gratifying parts of what we do—helping patients avoid serious complications before they ever happen.”
It is a mission that is particularly important in Oklahoma and the surrounding region, where cardiovascular disease remains highly prevalent.
“This part of the country has a high burden of heart disease, which is one of the reasons we’re practicing here,” Dr. Sherbet says. “People in Oklahoma deserve access to the same level of cardiovascular care you’d find anywhere in the country.”
At CardioVascular Health Clinic, that commitment means combining advanced treatments for complex coronary artery disease with a strong emphasis on prevention, early diagnosis, and long-term patient relationships.
“I think about it as taking care of people the same way I’d want my own family taken care of,” Dr. Sherbet says. “The goal is to give patients the best care possible so they can stay healthy and keep living the lives they enjoy.”
If you’re experiencing symptoms such as chest pain or shortness of breath, or have concerns about coronary artery disease, Dr. Daniel Sherbet is now seeing patients at CardioVascular Health Clinic. Scheduling an evaluation can help identify potential issues early and determine the next steps for protecting your long-term heart health.
