Interventional cardiologists are heart specialists who specialize in performing procedures such as angiographies, angioplasties, and stents.
I told you in the past that interventional cardiologists in this country perform way too many of these procedures.
Specifically, many of the procedures are not medically necessary but are done for non-patient centered reasons, such as liability, insurance reimbursement, and medical politics.
So do you really need heart surgery?
Many of these cases can be managed with medications without the need for a potentially dangerous intervention. Now a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association emphasizes this point.
Researchers at Harvard Medical School analyzed the death rate of patients who were admitted to the hospital for acute heart attacks between January 1, 2007 and November 31, 2012. Amazingly, the analysis showed that the death rate was 1.3% lower when the interventional cardiologists in the hospital were away at their annual meeting than it was when they were in the hospital. And when they looked specifically at patients who did not have any of the procedures that interventional cardiologists routinely perform, the death rate dropped to 2.6% less. And that’s not all.
When they analyzed the cardiologists who went to the meeting versus those who did not, they discovered that the meeting goers performed 22.3% more procedures every year. That means that if you consult with a cardiologist who is an interventional meeting goer, you are 22.3% more likely to have a risky procedure that you may not have needed.
The researchers concluded, “Hospitalization with acute myocardial infarction [heart attack] during Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting dates was associated with lower 30-day mortality.” Basically, the researchers discovered that when heart specialists are away at academic conferences, the survival rate at their hospitals actually improves. Why is that?
Their conclusion was that specialists who attend the meetings are more prone to using intensive interventions for their patients which may do more harm than good, rather than taking a less aggressive approach.
So, what does it mean for you? It means that when an interventional cardiologist tells you that you need a procedure, maybe you don’t. Maybe your case will be treated just as well, with a lower chance of dying, simply with rest, oxygen, and medications. And that might just be the perfect time to get a second opinion.
Yours for better health,
Frank Shallenberger, MD
REF: Jena AB, Olenski A, et al. Acute Myocardial Infarction Mortality During Dates of National Interventional Cardiology Meetings. J AM Heart Assoc. 2018 Mar 9;7(6).