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 …
Copy of a letter to the Editor, Wall Street Journal
In regards to your February 11, 2010 article in The Wall Street Journal “A Simple Health-Care Fix Fizzles Out” by Keith Winstein, I would like to add a few comments and perhaps an explanation why, in my opinion, studies such as the COURAGE trial have had little or no effect on the way Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) is treated: COURAGE …
Comments on the niacin ezitimibe study
On Nov. 15 a study compared adjunct therapy (niacin vs. ezitimibe) for patients with known coronary artery disease (CAD) and hypercholesterolemia. The results indicated that patients would be better of with niacin (results published elsewhere on this website). The NYTimes commented on the study outcomes: Study Raises Questions About Cholesterol Drug’s Benefit on November 15, 2009: “For patients taking a …