Posted on 11/16/2019 12:19:27 PM PST by Olog-hai
People with severe but stable heart disease from clogged arteries may have less chest pain if they get a procedure to improve blood flow rather than just giving medicines a chance to help, but it won’t cut their risk of having a heart attack or dying over the following few years, a big federally funded study found.
The results challenge medical dogma and call into question some of the most common practices in heart care. They are the strongest evidence yet that tens of thousands of costly stent procedures and bypass operations each year are unnecessary or premature for people with stable disease.
That’s a different situation than a heart attack, when a procedure is needed right away to restore blood flow.
For non-emergency cases, the study shows “there’s no need to rush” into invasive tests and procedures, said New York University’s Dr. Judith Hochman.
There might even be harm: To doctors’ surprise, study participants who had a procedure were more likely to suffer a heart problem or die over the next year than those treated with medicines alone.
Hochman co-led the study and gave results Saturday at an American Heart Association conference in Philadelphia. …
(Excerpt) Read more at apnews.com ...
You might be amused to know that when doing angiograms, the cardiologist makes an “estimate” of the degree of occlusion. Often the estimate is 70-90% occlusion in critical arteries immediately justifying stents or sometime bypass surgery. Err... there has been a problem. Angiograms were reviewed by non vested cardiologists in a study and very often those critical levels of stenosis could not be identified. These “errors” resulted in very expensive procedures done on patients who may not have benefitted, survived but were definitively charged for the services.
Obama’s “at some point we’ll just give her a pain pill”
He said pain killer, not pain pill, pain kill her.
The stents alone— without coatings to prevent re-growth of coronary lesions, was found to increase lesion formation and shorten time to another heart attack from loosened atheromas (caused by the trauma of the stent implant to the endothelium, and oxidized LDL getting into space as the endothelium grows over the stent).
The biochemistry— non-invasive, and genetic work in coronary artery disease— particularly the Vascular Biology Working Group, is a wonder of modern medicine. Can reverse coronary disease if correctly diagnosed and quantified, instead of finding out about it in an ER and needing emergency stents.
Is this another consensus (political science control over real science). I’ll stick with my 4xCABG.
LOL! It’s another conspiracy to kill off the Baby Boomers.
I’m dealing with a coronary dissection and subsequent massive MI right now, pt now partially paralyzed from subsequent stroke. with elective heart cath, bad things can definitely happen, worked in hospital for 33yrs, all too aware of blessings and curses of heart caths.
My friends dad was diagnosed with blocked heart artery after suffering a mild heart attack. He began a walking routine of 7 miles every week. 6 months later his heart had grown new bypass arteries in his heart! He no longer needs heart procedure to place stents or do a bypass.
I had a quadruple heart bypass surgery. No fun and the recovery is long. Sometimes stent implants don’t remove an artery blockage so surgery is necessary.
You and I and probably everyone on earth today are descended from THOUSANDS OF GENERATIONS of people who ate animals every chance they got.
My very own real personal experience...was having chest pains after a good steak dinner or physical strain at age 57.
Took up walking 30 miles every week (5 rounds of 18 holes).
Now at age 79, I have zero issues with heart, no pains, no strokes, blood pressure under 125/80.
I have convinced myself, rigorous exercise beats anything a doctor can prescribe or perform any procedure, when it comes to heart problems.
I had 10 stents placed in the RCA Easter afternoon when I had a Non-ST Elevated MI. I’m just as glad they did it, I was back in the gym 4 days later and have no bad effects.
Later this month I have an appointment with a cardiologist for the first time. Whenever I’ve raised concerns about a possible inherited condition I’ve been told that I “look perfect on paper” despite having my blood pressure inexplicably shoot up a few years ago.
My younger brother unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack last month leaving me as the only one in my biological family who hasn’t had a heart attack. He was only 43. The ME told my parents that if he had any siblings they need to be seen. This prompted my doctor to get me in with a cardiologist.
I’m hoping against hope that I’ve beaten the odds and do not have any major clogging. For a couple of weeks I felt like I was waiting to hear a verdict; either an acquittal or a death sentence. Your reference to that group intrigues me.
My first thought also
... I’ve been told that I “look perfect on paper”
One cannot outrun their genetics...
Not likely. He is prob more like my hubby.. a 5 way bypass at 53.. just bad genetics from his mom and dad. His dad died 1t 57...
The thoracic who did his bypass gave him 5 years before the next bypass.. if he makes it.
I think some physicians are taking a more cautious view of invasive procedures. And despite the claims of some here it is not a matter of letting certain members of the population die. It really is a matter of what is better for the patient in the long term. Perhaps every disease does not need to be “cured” for a patient to enjoy a fulfilling and otherwise healthy life.
I have a plastic ‘Y’ in place of my normal Abdominal Aorta.
(due to 3 aortal aneurysms)
Medical Science is amazing.
Went into the hospital 4½ years ago at 64, with 5% heart function and a 193 bump heart rate. Left five days later wearing a defibrillator vest. Within a week I started walking 2+ miles per day against the advice of my heart failure specialist. As he said the vest doesn’t make you bullet proof. After 6 month my HR was steady at 70-80 bpm at rest, I was still walking daily and my heart function was back to over 50%. I fired the heart failure specialist. My regular cardiologist admitted he had never seen such a recovery. He said usually it takes a year or more to recover to that degree even if you do, and often something else goes wrong before the heart gets better. I now see him once every year and a half. Moral of the story you can sit around and wait to die or take matters into your own hands and let the chips fall where they may.
Stents are an emergency procedure. If a stent is put in you damn well need it. It may save your life. It is that simple.
Congrats for taking the matters in your own hands!
Regular exercise increases our odds for a longer and pain free life. I never expected to feel this great nearing 80 candles. Age 100 is looking achievable! But I must keeping dragging my butt to the Gym for 30 minutes of treadmill walk at 24 min/mile pace at 3 degrees up-slope, and then 10 minutes of lifting light weights (30 lbs). My knee joints have recovered, after doc said I had bone on bone in knee. Hip joint pain is no more. And resting heart rate is around 60 bpm.
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