Ischemia trial

ISCHEMIA (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches)
(Pl note – Ischemia is a medical term referring to less blood supply to the tissues)

 

When announced – 16th November 2019

Where – At the 2019 American Heart Association Scientific sessions

How many – 5,179 patients

Done in – 37 countries

Funded by – The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) is one of the NIH9 National institute of Health) under the jurisdiction of the US Govt.

Aim of the study

To compare two treatment strategies Medicines vs Stent or Bypass plus medicines, in terms of their ability to provide symptom relief from angina and quality of life.

Reason for the study

There was too much use of interventions like stent or Bypass

Method of Study

The participants were divided into two groups One group received only medicines. The other group underwent Stent or Bypass and again received the same medicines
Group A – Medicines
Group B – Stent or Bypass + Same medicines as Group A

Results

  • The study found that drugs are as effective as Stents for stable heart disease. Drugs used were aspirin and/or statins, and drugs for high Blood Pressure and Diabetes if applicable.
  • Stent or Bypass surgery do not offer extra protection from heart attack, hospitalization or death due to heart attack

Recommendations

  • Medicines should be the first line of treatment for Heart Disease detected not in emergency
  • Even for 99% blockages, medicines should be the first line of treatment
  • Only if patients has chest pain in spite of taking medicines, Stent or Bypass surgery should be performed

Web links for further reading