AHRQ on heart disease treatments
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Long-term freedom from chest pain and repeat revascularization is significantly greater with coronary artery bypass surgery than angioplasty, but CABG causes significantly more post-procedure strokes, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality concludes in a comparative-effectiveness literature 1review finalized Oct. 15. Overall survival rates were similar. The AHRQ review included analysis of 23 randomized controlled trials comparing percutaneous coronary intervention to CABG. The report, released in draft form in January, says there is not enough data to assess comparative effectiveness in specific patient subgroups and that more study results are needed to assess the impact of stents, and drug-eluting stents in particular, on outcomes (2"The Gray Sheet" Jan. 29, 2007, p. 16)