"Which Heart Patients Need Stents? A New Study Stirs Debate" - Sumathi Reddy

Some doctors say medication can treat mild cases of clogged arteries as well as surgery, while others remain believers of angioplasty procedures called PCI. Nearly every day for the past month, Roxana Mehran, MD, professor of medicine, cardiology, population health and policy, director of the interventional cardiovascular research and clinical trials and the Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and her colleagues have been getting calls from patients wondering if their stents were really necessary. Yes, the doctor assures them, they were prime candidates to receive a stent, a small device used to prop open clogged arteries in patients with cardiovascular disease. Most cardiologists agree that in patients with acute coronary syndrome—those who have a heart attack or frequent chest pain—stents can be a lifesaver. It’s in patients with stable angina, or chest pain that occurs only when they exert themselves that questions remain.

- Roxana Mehran, MD, Professor, Medicine, Cardiology, Population Health Science and Policy, Director, Interventional Cardiovascular Research and Clinical Trials, Zena and Michael A. Weiner Cardiovascular Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

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