Lake Champlain Cardiology Associates
52 Tom Miller Rd., Plattsburgh, NY 12901  (518) 563-2404
www.lccahearts.com

Major Advances in the Treatment of Heart Disease

It seems like almost everyday there is a story in the news about new improvements in the treatment of heart disease – new stents, surgery through smaller incisions, and even surgery by robots. With all these great improvements it is interesting to consider what has resulted in the most important benefits to the health of Americans in the last 20 years.

A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at that issue. The findings were a little surprising. It was estimated that treatments for heart disease prevented 159,000 deaths between 1980 and 2000. Of these saved lives, approximately 10% were estimated to be due to heart bypass surgery, and 5% of the saved lives were due to angioplasty (balloons or stents). Most of the remaining 85% of the lives saved were attributed to quitting smoking, and to the use of medications, in particular aspirin, cholesterol medications (statins), and blood pressure medications, especially beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors.