Erik Rafflenbeul: Preventing the Need for Coronary Stenting
Erik Rafflenbeul, Chair of EAPCI Educational Content, Courses and Webinars Committee at European Society of Cardiology, shared a post on LinkedIn about a recent article by Salim Yusuf et al. published in The Lancet, adding:
“Prevent the Stent
Every day, I implant stents to restore blood flow and save myocardium.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth:
The best stent is the one your patient NEVER needs.
Up to 80% of premature cardiovascular disease can be prevented (1;2) through optimal control of modifiable risk factors. Yet, too often, we identify atherosclerosis only after the first myocardial infarction or stroke.
Atherosclerosis doesn’t begin with chest pain.
It begins silently, years and often decades earlier.
As interventional cardiologists, we should not only treat obstructive disease:
We should help detect atherosclerosis before it becomes symptomatic.
The recent Lancet Commission challenges us to rethink coronary artery disease: shifting our focus from ischaemia to atheroma, from reacting to clinical events to identifying disease early through imaging, risk assessment and proactive prevention.
Because the future of interventional cardiology is not only better PCI.
It’s preventing the need for PCI.
References:
- World Health Organization. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) Fact Sheet.
- Yusuf S, Hawken S, Ounpuu S, et al. Effect of potentially modifiable risk factors associated with myocardial infarction in 52 countries (the INTERHEART study): case-control study.”
Title: Effect of potentially modifiable risk factors associated with myocardial infarction in 52 countries (the INTERHEART study): case-control study
Authors: Salim Yusuf, Steven Hawken, Stephanie Ounpuu, Tony Dans, Alvaro Avezum, Fernando Lanas, Matthew McQueen, Andrzej Budaj, Prem Pais, John Varigos, Liu Lisheng
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