Posted by on Apr 25, 2014 in Blog, Coronary artery disease | 2 comments

Being an Empowered Patient

Your doctor relies on medical research, her own training, and years of experience to make medical decisions.  As a patient, it is your right to be as informed as possible.

Medivizor has a vast array of research that can be sent directly to your email box based on the diagnoses you have.  Here is a short description of a research article that is part of the repository of content available.

Research on Treatment for Coronary Artery Blockages

In 2013, researchers looked at patients whose coronary arteries had several blockages.  Their treatment was different.   Some of the patients, (3023) had Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) while others (3032) underwent Coronary Angioplasty (PCI).  A CABG is a surgery in which the surgeon opens the patient’s chest and works directly on the blockages.  Blockages are “bypassed” with pieces of blood vessels from the patient’s leg or chest.

PCI is a non surgical procedure that involves using stents to treat narrowed coronary arteries.   In this procedure, the physician threads a tube treatment for coronary artery blockagesthrough the patient’s blood vessels and places a stent or small mesh tube in the blocked vessel to keep it open.

After a little over 4 years, the researchers compared these two treatments for coronary artery blockages.  Those who had CABG procedure were less likely to have died (27%) compared to those who had PCI.  Those who had CABG also were less likely (42%) to have further heart attacks than those with PCI.

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To read and learn more, take a look at the actual translation by medical writers here at Medivizor. Remember, you and your physician or other healthcare provider are a team. Work together with your physician to make your medical decisions with as many facts as you can. Signing up for Medivizor can make a difference, making it easier to find essential information.