JournalScan

Please visit the Heart website (www.heartjnl.com) for links to these articles—many to full text.

iqbal malik

Editor, JournalScan

ISCHAEMIC HEART DISEASE

Another cost effective treatment? n-3 Polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) have a cost per life-year gained of about £15 000 based on the benefits shown in the GISSI Prevenzione trial. The authors conclude that this is comparable to simvastatin treatment and advocate the addition of n-3 PUFA therapy to treatments currently in use for secondary prevention after myocardial infarction.

 1 Franzosi MG, Brunetti M, Marchioli R, Marfisi RM, Tognoni G, Valagussa F. Cost-effectiveness analysis of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) after myocardial infarction: results from Gruppo Italiano per lo Studio della Sopravvivenza nell'Infarto (GISSI)-Prevenzione trial.(2001) Pharmacoeconomics 19:411–20.OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science.

PTCA or CABG? The ARTS trial: About 60% of patients treated by coronary angioplasty (PTCA) or bypass graft surgery (CABG) have multivessel disease which could feasibly be treated with either procedure. The ARTS (arterial revascularization therapies study) trial randomised 1205 such patients. The PTCA group has a high rate of stent (89%) use but glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors were used in less than 5% of cases. At one year, death and stroke rates were equivalent (91% event-free survival in both), but the PTCA group had more repeat procedures (16.8%v 3.5%). If death/myocardial infarction/stroke rates remain equivalent at later time points, would you rather be put on bypass once or on the “angio” table a number of times?

 2 Serruys PW, Unger F, Sousa JE, Jatene A, Bonnier HJRM, Schonberger JPAM, Buller N, Bonser R, van den Brand MJB, van Herwerden LA, Morel M-A M, van Hout BA, for the Arterial Revascularization Therapies Study Group. Comparison of coronary-artery bypass surgery and stenting for the treatment of multivessel disease.(2001) N Engl J Med 344:1117–24.OpenUrlCrossRefPubMedWeb of Science.

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