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Science Blood-flow test helps reduce stents in narrowed heart arteries
Science Blood-flow test helps reduce stents in narrowed heart arteries | Blood-flow test helps reduce stents in narrowed heart arteries |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Friday, 16 January 2009 | |
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Science DiscussionsThe results of the study were published in the Thursday, January 15, 2009 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. The article (volume 360:213-224, number 3) is entitled “Fractional Flow Reserve versus Angiography for Guiding Percutaneous Coronary Internention.” The authors state in the paper’s abstract: “In patients with multivessel coronary artery disease who are undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary angiography is the standard method for guiding the placement of the stent. It is unclear whether routine measurement of fractional flow reserve (FFR; the ratio of maximal blood flow in a stenotic artery to normal maximal flow), in addition to angiography, improves outcomes.” Multivessel coronary artery disease (MCAD) is a critical factor in identifying acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). It is defined generally as a 75% restriction (partial blockage, narrowing) of two or more major epicardial arteries. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), also called coronary angioplasty, or simply angioplasty, is the procedure used to treating the narrowing of coronary arteries of the heart. In the study, the researchers used 1,005 randomly selected patients from twenty medical centers in the United States and Europe. Page two continues with more details of the experiment. |
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