Everyone should read this. Glad I did. Here is just a taste: Cardiac Angioplasty, Stents This invasive procedure involves inflating a thin balloon in a narrowed artery to crush plaque deposits; a stent (a wire mesh tube) is often then left behind to keep the vessel open. When used during a heart attack, an angioplasty can quickly open a blocked artery to lessen the damage to your heart, and when used in this way can be lifesaving. However, oftentimes heart disease patients receive angioplasties even though they have not had a heart attack -- a decision that goes against the latest medical guidelines. One 2011 study found that 12 percent of all angioplasty procedures (in cases that did not involve an acute heart attack) were not medically necessary.4 Separate research also revealed that angioplasty offers no benefit compared to less invasive treatment of heart disease.5
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 16:50:46 +0000
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