Dr. Ahmed: Heart study may have caused confusion – Zanesville Times Recorder

ZANESVILLE - The results of afour-year trial released last month by the American Heart Association concluded that invasive procedures, stents and bypass surgery were no more effective than drugs for stable heart disease.

Mohamed Ahmed, MD(Photo: Submitted)

The information, however, may have been confusing to the public, according to a local doctor.

According to the $100 million federally-funded study, researchers found that invasive procedures to unclog blocked arteries, in most cases by insertion of a stent, were measurably better than pills at reducing patients' chest pain during exercise.

But the ISCHEMIA study found no difference in a constellation of major heart disease outcomes, including heart attacks and death, after cardiac arrest. Overall, the study suggests that invasive procedures, stents and bypass surgery should be used more sparingly in patients with stable heart disease and the decision to use them less rushed.

"I think this information can be confusing to the public and primary carephysicians," said Dr. Mohamed Ahmed. "The stories published about the study suggeststhat bypass surgeries and stents are no more effective than cholesterol-lowering medication in preventing heart attack and death."

That information is true for stable patients who complain of chest pain.

"This does not apply to patients having heart attacks or frequent problems," said Dr. Mohamed Ahmed, an interventional cardiology specialistwith Genesis HealthCare System. "And, the information is nothing new. We have been treating patients this way for years."

So far this year, the Genesis Heart and Vascular team has performed 761 percutaneous coronary interventions or stents procedures, 2,238 left heart catheterizations and 180 open heart surgeries.

"We first start our patients out on symptomatic medication to relieve the chest pain," Ahmed said. "If medication fails to relieve the symptoms, we have to explore other options."

The bottom line, according to Ahmed, is that stents and bypass surgery are more effective in treating heart disease in some circumstances, and to say medication is equally effective under some circumstancesisinaccurate.

Medication may be effective for relieving chest pain in an older patient who doesn't exercise. However, a more active patient may not get the same relief with medication alone and would require the insertion of a stent.

"Trust your physician," Ahmed said. "If you have questions about what options are best for your symptoms, ask. We can explain the different options for your individual situation."

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Dr. Ahmed: Heart study may have caused confusion - Zanesville Times Recorder