Twelve-year data on treatment of blockage of the left main heart artery indicate that using a drug-coated stent is an effective alternative to bypass surgery, doctors report.
The study of 314 people who underwent the procedure between 1997 and 2008 in Poland supports the findings of a large European trial, which found no difference in the death rate between bypass surgery and angioplasty for the condition, according to a report published online Aug. 19 and in an upcoming print issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology by a group of physicians from Poland and the United States.
"In the earliest days, it was found that surgical revascularization [restoration of blood flow] prolonged survival," said Dr. David R. Holmes, the Scripps professor of medicine at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine, and a participant in the earlier European trial.
HealthDay by Ed Edelson, 8/21/09
Tags: artery, Cardiology, heart