President Bush’s unnecessary heart surgery

[El Supremo]

Former president George W. Bush, widely regarded as a model of physical fitness, received a coronary artery stent on Tuesday. Few facts are known about the case, but what is known suggests the procedure was unnecessary.

Before he underwent his annual physical, Mr. Bush reportedly had no symptoms. Quite the opposite: His exercise tolerance was astonishing for his age, 67. He rode more than 30 miles in the heat on a bike ride for veterans injured in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(snip)

Unfortunately, Mr. Bush, like many VIPs, may be paying the price of these in-depth investigations. His stress test revealed an abnormality, prompting another test: a CT angiogram. This study showed a blockage, which was stented open during an invasive procedure. It is worth noting that at least two large randomized trials show that stenting these sorts of lesions does not improve survival. Because Mr. Bush had no symptoms, it is impossible that he felt better after these procedures.

Instead, George W. Bush will have to take two blood thinners, aspirin and Plavix, for at least a month and probably a year. (The amount of time a blood thinner is needed depends on the type of stent placed). While he takes these medications, he will have a higher risk of bleeding complications with no real benefit....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/president-bushs-unnecessary-heart-surgery/2013/08/09/c91c439c-0041-11e3-9a3e-916de805f65d_story.html

[trotsky]

1. In fairness, sometimes the first symptom of a blockage...

is a fatal heart attack.

[bmbmd]

2. Ummm-

he had an abnormal stress test. I'm not sure why the authors of this editorial (an oncologist and an internist) feel qualified to judge the care he recieved.

[dionysus]

3. David Letterman said he was jogging several miles daily right up until he needed an

emergency multiple bypass...

[EC]

4. Well, I don't think he would change his diet.

He already exercises (bikes), so maybe that's why he got stuck with a stent?

[madinmaryland]

5. It could have been the result of watching and being a fan of an inferior baseball team...

(no pictures required)!!



As others have said, no one really knows that actual diagnosis and the real issues that he had. It must be nice, though, to get all of the health care that you need without having to pay for anything!

[trotsky]

6. Or perhaps watching and being a fan of an inferior football team?

[madinmaryland]

7. How many rings does Emmitt Smith have and how many World Series have the Texas

Rangers won?

*crickets*

Well, to be truthful, the Rangers have won ONE World Series Game in their entire history!!

[trotsky]

8. Your precious Cowpies could have won ALL the Super Bowls...

and they'd still suck! :-P

[El Supremo]

12. Four.

What a maroon!

[madinmaryland]

13. Oh yeah. I forgot about the choke series against the Cardinals!!

[El Supremo]

14. Ah ha! The Cardinals fan exposes himself.

[madinmaryland]

15. This coming from the "fan" who changes teams more often than his underwear!!

GO USA!!

[MoonRiver]

9. Here's how much I care about Dimson's health, or lack thereof:

[NCTraveler]

10. If he and the doctor came to the conclusion that it would be beneficial...

Then good on them. Wish the rest of us were so lucky. Article seems kind of petty and pathetic.

[Hekate]

11. On the very same day, my youngest brother had a heart attack & got a stent

Youngest bro had 100% blockage in one artery, 90% in another, and 50% in the third. He had been symptomatic for several days before going to Urgent Care, where they rushed him to the hospital. The actual heart attack seems to have occurred on the operating table. The symptoms? Upper back pain while loading his truck. Fortunately he felt bad enough that he canceled his weekend plans, then went to Urgent Care on Monday.

We all thought he'd be getting a triple-bypass, but he ended up with one stent, an angioplasty, and medication. Thanks to Baby Caligula, we had national in-depth medical coverage of how this treatment is the new protocol.

The part I really don't like is this: It is worth noting that at least two large randomized trials show that stenting these sorts of lesions does not improve survival. On the other hand, my brother said he was definitely breathing easier (and breathing!), and it's a helluva lot less traumatic than bypass surgery.

Keep a good thought for a good man. He started his family late, so is 56 y.o. with a young wife and 3 kids under 12.