Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/yIqurbhKfAw   That’s the bottom line of the ISCHEMIA study, an international effort coordinated by cardiologists at Stanford and New York Universities.  Presented last week at the American Heart Association’s meetings, the study had nearly 5200 participants in 37 countries.   Patients with stable coronary blockages do no better with invasive surgery, either angiographic stent placement or open chest arterial bypass grafts, than those treated conservatively using medications.  The one exception: patients with chest pain, angina, achieved more relief from surgery.   There are rare cases when surgery is absolutely necessary.  When an operation is recommended to you, ask if there is an alternative.  If you are told, “No,” get a second opinion.   https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2019/11/invasive-heart-treatments-not-always-needed.html   #Coronaryarterydisease #stents #CABG #angina