ROCHESTER, MINN. -- A Mayo Clinic study finds that many heart patients who undergo angioplasty to open blocked arteries are still taking chest pain medications six months later despite the fact that chest pain is often alleviated by the angioplasty procedure. The study was published in a recent issue of Annals of Internal Medicine.
In the paper, Mayo Clinic researchers reviewed more than 3,800 cases. They found that of the 99 percent who reported improvement in chest pain symptoms after angioplasty, 39 percent were still taking beta blockers (43 percent before); 36 percent were still taking nitrates (41 before); and 57 percent were still taking calcium channel blockers (50 percent before). These drugs are given by cardiologists to fight the chest pain associated with clogged arteries.
"There may be good reasons for continuing to take these drugs in some cases," says Dr. David Holmes, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist. "But we believe that there is the potential to save people from the side effects, costs, and inconvenience associated with taking these drugs. We plan to develop guidelines to identify which patients need to continue taking medications after successful angioplasty and which patients can safely discontinue these drugs."
Gamma Knife A Good Alternative to Surgery for Many Brain Problems
A recent study from Mayo Clinic shows that gamma knife surgery is successful in
treating patients with a wide variety of brain disorders. In patients with
benign tumors, growth was controlled in 96 percent of the cases.
The gamma knife, a special machine that focuses high intensity radiation precisely into the brain, offers an alternative to neurosurgery for many brain disorders. Because gamma knife radiosurgery is brain surgery without a scalpel, patients who undergo the procedure are able to return to their normal activities the day after their operation.
"Treatment of benign tumors is one area in which the gamma knife has been found to be very effective," says Bruce E. Pollock, M.D., a Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon and lead author of the study. "Surgery is often unable to get at an entire tumor because of possible damage to surrounding brain tissue. With the gamma knife, management of such patients is less risky."
The gamma knife's precision is enhanced by the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which provides a three-dimensional look at the area of concern within the brain. When coupled with modern computer dose-planning software, the gamma knife's working accuracy is considered to be 1 millimeter or less.
Not all tumors and brain abnormalities can be treated with the gamma knife. Dr. Pollock says he refers 30 percent to 40 percent of cases sent to him to surgery or outpatient radiation therapy. Dr. Pollock and his colleagues have found that, in general, patients with lesions larger than 35 millimeters aren?t good candidates for gamma knife treatment.
Pain Limits Physical and Social Functioning in Female Cancer Patients
A Mayo Clinic survey found that pain significantly affects the quality of life
of female cancer patients by limiting their physical abilities and social
activities.
Over 60 percent of a group of 107 women being treated for recurring breast and gynecologic cancers reported that pain interfered with their ability to function physically and socially.
"Pain is a prominent part of the lives of patients with recurrent cancer," says Dr. Teresa Rummans, a Mayo Clinic psychiatrist and study author. "Clearly pain limits one?s ability to pursue physical activities and exercise and diminishes social activities and contacts. Interventions to maintain both of these domains as long as possible may have a positive impact on the individual?s overall quality of life." The report was published in the journal Psychosomatics.
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Journal
Annals of Internal Medicine