A University at Buffalo School of Medicine study has been widely misinterpreted to show routine use of angioplasty to reopen cardiac arteries doesn?t prevent heart attacks, according to St. Joseph chief heart surgeon Dr. Stephen Pollock.
But “there has never been a claim by anybody that stents prevent heart attacks, except in the middle of one actually happening,” Pollock said.
The Buffalo study compared routine, nonemergency angioplasty to regular medication and lifestyle changes. Those with the surgical procedure, which can cost $50,000, were slightly less likely to have a subsequent heart attack, but not enough to justify the procedure.
