coronary heart disease

Balloon angioplasty.

Hospitals and physicians are being pushed to drop angioplasty  because, while it may seem to make sense, it has had  disappointing medical outcomes and is very expensive.

Studies have shown that  the operation, to open up clogged arteries, doesn’t protect from heart attacks. Evidence-based medicine strikes again!

And so as this Tribune News Service article discusses, there’s been a “quiet revolution in the treatment of coronary heart disease, shifting patients away from angioplasty in favor of medications, exercise and better diets.” It’s part of a wider movement in medicine, pushed hard by payers, away from expensive procedures and toward more use of medication and lifestyle changes.

This JAMA article should be read by everyone trying to reduce the number of hospital readmissions.

The article concludes:

“Among patients with coronary heart disease, the use of a lifestyle-focused text messaging service compared with usual care resulted in a modest improvement in LDL-C level and greater improvement in other cardiovascular disease risk factors. The duration of these effects and hence whether they result in improved clinical outcomes remain to be determined.”