Publisher: Chester County Press

Millions of Americans will board planes and travel long distances this holiday season, many of them living with known heart disease, many others quietly carrying dangerous plaque they don’t even know is there. And the risk most people are watching, cholesterol, is not actually the one most likely to trigger the life-changing event.

For the hundreds of thousands of Americans who undergo heart bypass surgery each year, the relief of surviving such a major procedure is often shadowed by one sobering fact: The risk of another heart attack or stroke still lingers.