STATIN STUDY
For the millions of Americans undergoing angioplasty, the procedure that props open clogged heart arteries, there is new research which shows that a simple medication i.e. statins, can lower one’s risk of having a heart attack during the procedure.
The research found those who use them just before getting the artery-opening procedure can have an added layer of protection against complications.
Angioplasty is a surgical procedure where doctors place a balloon-tipped catheter into a coronary, or heart artery that is blocked by a fatty cholesterol plaque. The balloon pushes the plaque aside and then often, a stent is placed, propping the artery open permanently. The catheter and balloon are then removed, allowing blood to flow freely.
During the procedure, a heart attack may occur if a blood clot is dislodged during angioplasty and completely blocks the artery, cutting off blood and oxygen to the heart.
These complications may or may not require emergency bypass surgery.
In the study, patients were either given a cholesterol-lowering drug, a statin called Lipitor, or a placebo, seven days before the angioplasty procedure. Heart attack rates during the procedure were much lower in those taking lipitor.
“It actually starts working much faster than that. Even a single dose of statins after twelve hours has a positive effect,” says Dr. Vincenzo Pasceri, the author of the study. Only five percent of those taking the drug had a heart attack, compared to 18% receiving a placebo. “This is totally independent from cholesterol levels, of course because actually we did not actually reduce cholesterol, not significantly. So it’s something different,” states Dr. Pasceri.
The researchers aren’t sure why the lipitor was so effective in such a short period of time, but they think it has to do with lowering inflammation in the blood vessel, and thus, making it more difficult to form a clot in the blood. It may also act to keep a plaque from rupturing open and causing a full blown clot to form at the site. The doctors recommend taking the drug seven days before having the angioplasty procedure.
“For one week, we don’t have any complications,” insists Dr. Pasceri.
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