No Extra Benefits Seen in Study for Coronary Artery Disease

A traditional method of treating coronary artery disease is prescribing beta blockers, ace inhibitors, statins and daily aspirin. A recent study, a described in the New York Times, shows that traditional treatment for coronary artery disease is just as effective as stent implantation for prevention of chest pain, heart attack and need for future percutaneous coronary intervention.

Percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI, involves a surgeon inserting a mesh tube made of metal into an artery that has become narrow because of accumulated plaque. The tube is fed into an artery and expands to hold the artery open to the point that the blood flow is restricted. These stents are filled with medicine which helps keep the artery open.

However, Dr. Allen Schwartz, Chief of Cardiology at Columbia, commented that “cardiac disease is complicated, there are a lot of factors that go into assessing that go into who should and shouldn’t be treated with stenting.”

If you purchased a long term disability policy through your employer and you are applying for long term disability benefits as a result of coronary artery disease has been denied, you should contact long term disability attorney Nancy Cavey to learn more about your rights to long term disability benefits.

Resource: New York Times- Science Times- Tuesday, February 28, 2012