ANTICOAGULATION
ANCHOR LEAD: STOPPING BLOOD THINNERS CAN BE DEADLY, ELIZABETH TRACEY REPORTS
Using a couple of different blood thinners after stents are placed to keep blood vessels in the heart open is becoming standard practice, but now a new study has concluded that when one of those medications is stopped there is a risk of clot formation and sudden death. John Conte, a heart surgeon at Johns Hopkins, says this is just one more issue related to management of this heart condition.
CONTE: This is a small part of a bigger picture. The bigger picture is how do you treat people with coronary artery disease? It’s very controversial and unfortunately in this country there’s not a system in place that I believe accurately represents what the true risks and benefits of any one of the procedures are. The ideal situation would be if you had a multidisciplinary clinic staffed by cardiologists, surgeons and vascular people who decided on a case by case basis what the best option for that patient is. :31
Conte says that if there is time, people should consider all their options for treating coronary artery disease before selecting one. I’m Elizabeth Tracey reporting.
