When is operation indispensable for coronary heart disease?

The results of a 10-year study have convincingly shown that coronary artery stenting and coronary artery bypass grafting do not reduce mortality in stable coronary heart disease, Simon Matskeplishvili, Deputy Director for Research at the University Clinic of Moscow State University, Corresponding Member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said Simon Matskeplishvili.

“With stents, doctors eliminate the local manifestation of the disease (narrowing of the coronary arteries), but at the same time cause injury to the heart vessels. It is impossible to completely abandon the stents. The absolute indication for stenting is acute myocardial infarction (when a blood clot closes the coronary artery)," the specialist noted.

According to the doctor, stents are also needed for patients who do not want or cannot take medication. In other cases, drug therapy can provide a reliable and stable result.

“Today, in the treatment of cardiac patients, doctors use two classes of drugs that were originally intended for patients with diabetes. Due to the fact that all drugs are tested for cardiovascular safety, it turned out that they have a "side effect" - they reduce cardiovascular mortality by 26%. Moreover, unlike classical cardiological drugs, which begin to act after a rather long time, these drugs work from the very first days of taking,” the expert concluded.