Drugs As Good As Stents For Angina Pain

Someone suffering from the frightening chest pain of angina is no doubt ready for a quick fix to make that pain go away. Many angina patients turn to stents for the quickest relief, opting out of drug therapy, which takes a little longer to take effect. New information made available in today’s New England Journal of Medicine says, in the long run, the pain-relieving effects of stenting, or angioplasty, disappears in two or three years’ time, eventually bringing no more relief than a steady course of drug therapy would have. Read more

Bypass Still Beats Stents

A study recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine, shows that Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts (CABG) are associated will better outcomes than the less invasive stents.

Group of researchers at the State University of New York, led by Dr. Edward L. Hannan studied 7,500 patients with coronary artery disease, who underwent bypass grafting, and 10,000 patients who were managed with drug-eluting stents.  It was shown that patients with two blocked coronary arteries who received coronary artery grafts had a 29% lower risk of dying in the 18 months following the procedure, than those who received stents.  Those with three blocked coronary arteries who received a graft had a 25% lower risk.  It was also found that they were less likely to need another procedure caused by coronary arteries blocking after a period of  of time. Read more