Coronary Artery Angioplasty
Although it has been shown to save lives in an emergency, heart attack, there is no data to support the contention that it will increase your life expectancy when compared with being managed with just medications alone - Alice Park
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Angioplasty: Ending Inappropriate Use
Angioplasty and stenting continue to be used in stable coronary artery disease (i.e. not in the middle of a heart attack), even though large randomized controlled trials have shown that they add no significant survival benefit. Angioplasty and stenting are exceedingly expensive and carry risks (including heart attack and stroke) to the patient.
The COURAGE study reported in 2007 that angioplasty and inserting stents, or PCI (percutaneous coronary intervention), provided temporary relief from angina, but did not result in fewer deaths, myocardial infarction or cardiovascular events than medication and lifestyle changes. The OAT clinical study indicated that for high-risk patients with…
Resources
A Cardiac Conundrum
In his new book, Broken Hearts: The Tangled History of Cardiac Care (Johns Hopkins), David S. Jones ’92, M.D. ’97, Ph.D. ’01, Ackerman professor of the culture of medicine, narrates the history of two of American medicine’s highest-profile treatments for heart disease: coronary artery bypass grafts and angioplasty.
Placebo Effect of the Heart
After 40 years, millions of procedures, and billions of dollars, doctors are questioning whether a common procedure is doing more harm than good. How much does heart disease depend on a patient’s state of mind?
Quality of Life in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty (PTCA)
Findings showed that there was not a significant difference in the QOL in patients with PTCA before the procedures and 3 months after enduring them.
This FDA Approved Device Performs Robotic Angioplasty And Reduces Radiation For Cardiologists
The CorPath FDA-approved system has a "cockpit" with a control console which lets the cardiologist control the movements of the guidewires, stent catheters and balloons used in the procedure. The entire cockpit has a radiation shield around it to protect the doctor.
What's the difference between angioplasty and coronary bypass surgery?
If your arteries are partially or fully blocked, you have a couple of options. The first is called angioplasty and it's preferred by about one-third of all CAD patients
Angioplasty: Ending Inappropriate Use
Angioplasty and stenting continue to be used in stable coronary artery disease (i.e. not in the middle of a heart attack), even though large randomized controlled trials have shown that they add no significant survival benefit. Angioplasty and stenting are exceedingly expensive and carry risks (including heart attack and stroke) to the patient.
Angioplasty.org
Welcome to the Web's most extensive independent source of information on angioplasty for patients and professionals -- now celebrating our 10th year online. Our mission: provide substantive support; present the latest news on treatments and technologies; be a forum for discussion of controversial issues in medical innovation.
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Atherosclerosis is a condition in which a material called plaque (plak) builds up on the inner walls of the arteries. This can happen in any artery, including the coronary arteries, which carry oxygen-rich blood to your heart. When atherosclerosis affects the coronary arteries, the condition is called coronary artery disease (CAD).
HeartPoint.com
Balloon angioplasty (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty or PTCA) is widely used for treatment of the blockages of coronary artery disease. This procedure is relatively simple, with only a small incision in the groin needed to introduce the equipment. As shown above, the balloon is inflated to compress the plaque and enlarge the artery, and provide an adequate area for blood to flow through.
HeartSite.com
The heart is supplied by three major coronary arteries and their branches. Atherosclerosis produces discrete (confined) or scattered areas of blockage within a coronary artery. When the blockages are large enough, they reduce blood supply to heart muscle and produce angina. The tests used to make the diagnosis of coronary artery disease and its medical treatment have been discussed elsewhere. Some patients with coronary artery disease may require surgery.
Mayo Clinic
Percutaneous coronary intervention, also known as coronary angioplasty, opens narrowed coronary arteries.
MedicineNet
PTCA is a nonsurgical procedure that relieves narrowing and obstruction of the arteries to the muscle of the heart (coronary arteries). This allows more blood and oxygen to be delivered to the heart muscle.
NHS
Coronary angioplasty is sometimes known as percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). The combination of coronary angioplasty with stenting is usually referred to as percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
RadiologyInfo.org
Angioplasty with vascular stenting is just one way to treat narrowed or blocked arteries. Medications and exercise are often the first step in treating atherosclerosis. Regardless of which artery is blocked, angioplasty does not reverse or cure the underlying disease of atherosclerosis.
Texas Heart institute
Coronary artery disease (CAD) affects almost 1.3 million Americans, making it the most common form of heart disease. CAD most often results from a condition known as atherosclerosis, which happens when a waxy substance forms inside the arteries that supply blood to your heart.
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