Tuesday, January 6, 2009

DCRI cardiologist is lead author for new criteria for angioplasty and heart bypass surgery
By Kelly Winget, DCRI Communications

Angioplasties and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgeries are frequently used procedures to help improve blood flow in patients who have heart blockages. But the American College of Cardiology and other leading cardiologists were concerned that there weren't consistent guidelines on when to perform these procedures.

The DCRI's Manesh Patel, MD, led the group that wrote a new set of guidelines to help physicians determine which patients could benefit the most from these procedures, based on the severity of their condition.

In angioplasty, patients have a small balloon inserted into their arteries to widen blocked passages. CABG surgery is a more invasive procedure where blood flow is rerouted through a new artery.

Dr. Patel and the group that wrote the new guidelines were concerned that some patients were undergoing the procedures unnecessarily while other patients who would benefit were passed over by their physicians. The group set out to assess when it is reasonable for patients to undergo these procedures because it would likely improve their overall health or would extend their lives.

The guidelines ask physicians to rate patients based on their symptoms, test results, and imaging scans. Patients are given a score between one and nine once physicians determine the extent of the blockage and the severity of damage to the heart. Patients with the highest scores are considered the best candidates for surgery, and the guidelines do not recommend surgery for patients with low scores.

Dr. Patel expects the guidelines will offer greater consistency in deciding who receives surgical intervention.

Click here to read the criteria.