Pills as good as stents for stable heart patients: analysis
She said more than 1 million stents were implanted each year to treat coronary artery disease in the hopes that stents would work better than drugs, despite ample evidence to the contrary.
Brown said part of the reason doctors ignored those studies was that there was a big financial incentive to use stents versus drugs.
How are clogged arteries or arterial plaque treated?
There are a variety of prevention and treatment options for clogged arteries. What your doctor prescribes to reduce arterial plaque and prevent clogged arteries will depend on the severity of your condition and your medical history. Your doctor may prescribe one or more of the following:
1. Lifestyle changes. A healthy lifestyle is essential for the management of arterial plaque and treatment of clogged arteries. This includes:
- eating a diet low in saturated fats and cholesterol and rich in fruits and vegetables
- maintaining a healthy body weight
- not smoking
- exercising regularly
- managing stress levels
2. Surgical procedures. In some instances, surgery may be necessary to treat clogged arteries and prevent additional arterial plaque accumulation. Surgery may include:
Stent placement. A metal tube called a stent, which may contain medication, can be placed in an artery to maintain adequate blood flow.
Bypass surgery. In this operation, arteries from other parts of the body are moved to bypass clogged arteries and help oxygen-rich blood reach its target destination.
Balloon angioplasty. This procedure helps open clogged arteries that have become partially or fully blocked.
3. Medications. A number of medications exist that may help control some of the factors that contribute to the accumulation of arterial plaque. These include:
- cholesterol-lowering drugs
- blood pressure-lowering drugs
- aspirin and other blood-thinning drugs, which reduce the likelihood of dangerous blood clot formation
“If I put a stent in you, I submit a bill for my fee, which could be $1,000 to $2,000. The hospital submits another bill for using the hospital, the stent, the equipment and nursing time,” he said. The whole thing could add up to $20,000 or $30,000.
Brown therefore doubts the study will sway too many doctors, but said it may influence insurance companies.
“A few practitioners might change their behavior, but third-party payers will be influenced by it and they will start by making stricter criteria for reimbursing these procedures,” he said.
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(Reuters)