Too Much Medicare "Care" Again

We have known that other nations that spend less on medical care get better
results. Once again we can see why with this following report:

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The study of more than 2,000 patients found that those who underwent the
expensive procedure, known as angioplasty, in non-emergency situations were
no less likely to suffer a heart attack or die than those who only took
aspirin and other medicines to thin their blood and lower blood pressure and
cholesterol, along with adopting life style changes.


The study is the first large, well-designed comparison of angioplasty to
non-surgical care for patients who are not actually having heart attack or
in imminent danger of one. Patients routinely undergo the procedure to
relieve chest pain and to reduce the risk of having or dying from a heart
attack.

"The data are compelling," said William E. Boden of the University of
Buffalo, whose findings were released Monday by The New England Journal of
Medicine to coincide with a presentation at a meeting of the American
College of Cardiology in New Orleans. "We do too many of these procedures."

Several experts said they expected the findings will prompt a major shift in
how doctors treat thousands of patients suffering from heart disease -- the
nation's leading cause of death.

"These findings are pretty explosive," said Steven Nissen, president of the
American College of Cardiology. "I think this is going to shake things up
pretty significantly."

The findings underscore the danger of rushing to adopt a procedure before
careful studies have been conducted to fully determine its benefits, Boden
and others said.

"There was just this intuitive belief that it would be beneficial," Boden
said. "But no one had ever done a proper randomized trial to see whether it
actually improved outcomes. In the meantime, a whole industry has been
created around this."

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Notice the words:

"The findings underscore the danger of rushing to adopt a procedure before
careful studies have been conducted to fully determine its benefits."


Remeber HRT? It was harmful? Now we need to find out about PSA tests...so
far no good evidence they do any good either.


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Relevant Pages

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  • Re: Too Much Medicare "Care" Again
    ... The study of more than 2,000 patients found that those who ... expensive procedure, known as angioplasty, in non-emergency ... whose findings were released Monday by The New ... HRT was not harmful. ...
    (talk.politics.medicine)
  • Re: Too Much Medicare "Care" Again
    ... The study of more than 2,000 patients found that those who ... expensive procedure, known as angioplasty, in non-emergency ... whose findings were released Monday by The New ... HRT was not harmful. ...
    (talk.politics.medicine)