Heart Ops

Dramatic Rise in Cardiac Procedures, But Heart Attack Rate Stays Constant

Over the last 10 to 15 years there has been a dramatic increase in cardiac procedures in the U.S. and Canada. Coronary artery bypass surgery and artery-opening procedures are intended to restore blood flow to the heart in order to prevent heart attacks. One might reasonably expect each country’s rate of heart attack to show an equally dramatic decline. But the heart attack rate stayed relatively constant in both countries. The findings came from two studies, one in the U.S. and one in Canada, published in the January 24 issue of the journal Circulation. They appear to validate the longstanding, but widely ignored, research indicating that today’s cardiac surgeons are still operating on an outmoded understanding of heart disease.