Surgeries effective for heart failure

EDMONTON, Alberta, Jan. 11 (UPI) -- Heart-failure patients who had bypass surgery or angioplasty had half the mortality rate compared to those without surgery, says a Canadian study.

Dr. Ross Tsuyuki of the University of Alberta says doctors should reassure patients that surgery is, indeed, worthwhile for heart-failure patients.

Tsuyuki found that mortality rates among Alberta heart-failure patients who had the procedures were half that of those who did not. The alternative to surgery is management with medication and lifestyle changes.

"These procedures should be considered in all patients with heart failure and coronary artery disease," says Tsuyuki.