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Research Highlights
Angioplasty, bypass surgery don't lower heart risk in vascular surgery
December 31, 2004
A recent VA study may help doctors manage patients with blocked coronary arteries who need surgery
for non-cardiac vascular problems, such as clogged leg arteries. Doctors usually urge these patients to
delay their elective vascular surgery until their coronary arteries can be fixed through bypass surgery
or angioplasty. This is thought to lower the risk of heart attack after vascular surgery. But the new
study says preventively clearing the coronary arteries is unlikely to improve the outcomes of vascular
surgery. In the study, half the participants received bypass or angiography before their vascular
procedure. The others had vascular surgery as planned, with no revascularization of the blocked
coronary arteries. Within 30 days after surgery, 3 percent in either group died. Similarly, the two
groups showed little difference in their mortality rate over five years of follow-up (22 and 23 percent)
or in their rate of heart attack within 30 days after surgery (12 and 14 percent). (Dec. 2004)
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