Below you'll find a list of all posts from May, 2010
A non-invasive and much cheaper test for coronary disease is available when a diagnosis of CAD is uncertain. Until recently, CT Coronary Angiography (CTCA)could not adequately identify coronary artery blockages. While not accurate enough to provide a pathway necessary to identify and treat these lesions, it avoids the risks and high costs of cardiac catherization, an important benefit. CTCA is most …
In a new article the risks of non-cardiac surgery from within 6 weeks up to a year after placement of a coronary artery stent are discussed. The authors conclude that other surgery can be quite dangerous, presumably because medications, needed to keep the stent open, have to be stopped to avoid the risk of bleeding during the procedure. It has …
(From: Low Diagnostic Yield of Elective Coronary Angiography, Manesh R. Patel, M.D.,et al.,N Engl J Med 362;10, 886-895) …slightly more than one third of patients without known disease who underwent elective cardiac catheterizationhad obstructive coronary artery disease. The authors analyzed data from a national registry on cardiac catheterization, reporting only 38% of elective, diagnostic coronary angiograms showed obstructive lesions, and 39% of …
Current guidelines support dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel (Plavix) in a number of clinical scenarios: ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (SEMI), Non-ST-elevation MI, Percutaneous Coronary Intervention. The guidelines are based on strong evidence from several large randomized clinical trials over the last 10 years. Dual antiplatelet therapy is recommended after ST-elevation MI or non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes, with aspirin indefinitely …