Study shows drop off in coronary artery bypass surgeries for heart patients
New research from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine shows a substantial decrease in one type of revascularization procedure, coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, while rates of utilization of the other form, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), has remained unchanged. Coronary revascularization, the process of restoring the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the heart, is among the most common hospital-based major interventional procedures performed in the United States. Over the past decade, the field of coronary revascularization has been changed by a number of technological advances, including new devices and new surgical techniques for clearing blockages. The research will be published in the May 3 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).