6 Risky Heart Procedures You May Not Need

The dreaded words – “it’s your heart” – are never easy to hear, and many people panic and accept surgery as the only option. In some cases it may be, but avoid these 6 risky heart procedures if you can.

When your cardiologist recommends heart surgery for a partially blocked artery, most patients will accept this diagnosis right off the bat. They also may agree to a number of diagnostic tests, assuming the doctor wouldn’t prescribe them if they weren’t necessary.

However, unfortunately, some heart surgeries and even diagnostic tests may prove more harmful than the blockage itself – depending on the severity of the situation.

While of course you should consult your doctor for any heart-related illness, if your doctor does recommend any of the 6 heart procedures listed below, you should at least get a second opinion, and let them know you’re looking for a safer and equally effective alternative.

1. Bypass surgery: Three major studies performed in the late 1970s and early 1980s…all clearly proved that for the majority  of patients, bypass surgery is no more effective than conservative medical treatment.

The bypass patients did not live significantly longer or have fewer heart attacks than those who did not undergo surgery. Recent studies agree with these results.

2. Angioplasty:  Studies on angioplasty–where a balloon-tipped catheter is inserted into the vessel and then inflated–delivered even worse news. The famous 1999 AVERT Trial found that unless the patient was in the middle of a heart attack, opening a blocked coronary artery with a balloon catheter resulted in a worse outcome compared to management through medication.

3. Stents: …Several clinical studies…, found stents did not provide any benefit beyond that afforded by medical therapy alone.

In fact, stents proved detrimental, increasing the occurrence of repeat heart attacks in the patients studied.

4. 64-Slice CAT Scan: Cardiac CAT scans produce an astounding amount of radiation exposure for the patient, often the equivalent of up to 750 chest X-rays….

Unless you are in an emergency situation and your doctor needs diagnostic information immediately about coronary blood flow, this is a test to avoid….

5. Nuclear Stress Tests: Nuclear stress tests evaluate how much oxygenated blood reaches the heart muscle during exercise compared to when the body is at rest….
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6. Coronary Calcium Scans: These procedures have not been recommended by the American Heart Association or the American College of Cardiology for mass screening of men and women–yet continue to be promoted by doctors, hospitals, outpatient clinics, and product advertisers.
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See the full article at HealthierTalk.com…