( Journal of the American Heart Associati...)Risk Of Death Increases With Sudden Withdrawal Of Medications,Health

Journal of the American Heart Association reported that patients who had heart attack, and stopped taking antiplatelet drugs within 30 days of having //a drug-coated with stent have 7 times more risk of death than others.

"An alarming one in seven patients in our study stopped taking their antiplatelet medication within the first 30 days of receiving a drug-eluting stent (DES), even though they were prescribed the drugs at the time of hospital discharge and recommendations are to continue them for a minimum of three to six months after the procedure," said John A. Spertus, M.D., M.P.H., lead author of the study and director of cardiovascular education and outcomes research at the Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Mo.

Researchers looked at the real-world use of DES in heart attack patients and a class of drugs called thienopyridines that work along with aspirin to help keep platelets in the blood from clumping and leading to the formation of blood clots. Thienopyridines include the drugs clopidogrel and ticlopidine. Blood clots can obstruct a coronary artery, causing a heart attack.

Several studies have confirmed the benefits of DES in preventing restenosis (reclosing of the artery that had been treated). However, with stents there is the potential problem of stent thrombosis (blood clots forming inside the stent), which can be associated with devastating consequences. Antiplatelet agents, including thienopyridines, reduce the likelihood of stent thrombosis. According to Spertus, no previous studies have defined the frequency and consequences of prematurely discontinuing thienopyridine therapy.

The risk of stent thrombosis with bare-metal stents (stents not coated with a drug) decreases rapidly after two to four weeks, and patients typically need thienopyridines for only about one month. In comparison, with drug-eluting stents the risk of stent thrombosis lasts for a longer period of time and patients with DES requir
'"/>




Page: 1 2 3
Related medicine news :

1. White Cells Count Can Predict Heart Attack Death Risk
2. Bayer Voluntarily Withdraws BAYCOL - A Drug Associated With 50 Deaths
3. AIDS toll set to exceed Black Death
4. Fish Oil Fights Arrhythmias, Sudden Death
5. Painkiller Linked to Deaths
6. Death due to premature heartbeat after exercise
7. Preventing Childhood Deaths
8. Death Risk Higher in Obese Women with Colon Cancer
9. Death Among the Homeless
10. Diabetes on the Increase but Death Rate Falling
11. Drug Users and Risk of Death