Bypass better than angioplasty at times

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 20 (UPI) -- The results of 10 clinical trials around the world suggest heart bypass surgery is better for some patients than angioplasty, a U.S. study said.

Stanford University School of Medicine said data from almost 8,000 research subjects show coronary angioplasty may be the better choice for patients with multi-vessel coronary artery disease who have diabetes or are over 65. Angioplasty, however, may be the best choice for patients under the age of 55.

"Whether you have diabetes really makes a big difference," lead author Dr. Mark Hlatky of Stanford said in a statement. "Over several years there's a much lower rate of death with bypass surgery. The patient's age was the other major factor that affected outcomes, and this was a bit of a surprise."

For patients with diabetes, the five-year mortality rate was 12 percent for those who had bypass surgery compared with 20 percent for those who underwent an angioplasty. For patients older than 65, the mortality rate was 11 percent for those who had bypass compared with 15 percent for those who had angioplasty.

The findings are published online in the The Lancet.