Simple scan could pave the way for developing effective treatments for angina, reports a new study.
A 40-minute test for angina could help patients avoid an overnight stay in the hospital, according to research funded by the NIHR Guy's and St Thomas' Biomedical Research Centre.
Chest Pain
Ask any one who has experienced intense chest pain and they will vouch for the fact that it was the most frightening experience of their life!
Advertisement
‘Simple 40-minute test for angina could help patients avoid an overnight stay in hospital.’
Read More..
Tweet it Now
Read More..
The MR-INFORM trial looked at whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could be used to guide treatment decisions for angina patients, rather than performing a more invasive procedure.
Angina is chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart muscles. The condition affects two million people in the UK and is a warning sign that you could be at risk of a heart attack or stroke. Treatments include drugs to lessen the pain and changes to a healthier lifestyle.
![Heart Attack- Lifestyle risks]( "Heart Attack- Lifestyle risks")
Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Simple guidelines to avoid heart attack are listed.
Currently, patients diagnosed with the condition are usually sent for an invasive angiography, a procedure which involves taking X-rays of the patient's arteries, and involves multiple hospital visits, including an overnight stay. If the condition is severe, patients have a procedure to improve blood flow to the heart called revascularization.
The MR-INFORM trial looked at 918 patients with angina and risk factors for coronary heart disease, who were divided into two groups. One received the standard invasive angiography. The other had the 40 minute MRI perfusion scan of the heart, to decide whether to send the patient on for invasive angiography.
The two groups had similar outcomes for patients' health with under 4% of patients in both groups having cardiac events (such as heart attacks), in the following year. However, the group whose treatment was dictated by their MRI scan had significantly fewer procedures, with only 40% of this group going on to have invasive angiography. Only 36% of the MRI group went on to have revascularization, compared to 45% in the other group.
Professor Eike Nagel, a consultant cardiologist and chair in Clinical Cardiovascular Imaging at King's College London, led the research. He said: "Personalizing patients' treatment for angina will mean that we can target the more invasive treatments only to those patients that really need them.
"We have shown that MRI imaging, which is less invasive than current diagnostic tests, could mean that patients' initial visits to the hospital are quicker and more patient-friendly, and that they are less likely to have further procedures. But crucially the outcomes for patients of taking this approach were similar, so there is no negative impact of directing treatment in this way only to those we're sure need it.
"We are really grateful to patients across Europe who participated in the study."
Source: Eurekalert
Heart Attack- Lifestyle risks
Heart attack is the death of the heart muscle due to loss of blood supply. Simple guidelines to avoid heart attack are listed.
Advertisement
Currently, patients diagnosed with the condition are usually sent for an invasive angiography, a procedure which involves taking X-rays of the patient's arteries, and involves multiple hospital visits, including an overnight stay. If the condition is severe, patients have a procedure to improve blood flow to the heart called revascularization.
The MR-INFORM trial looked at 918 patients with angina and risk factors for coronary heart disease, who were divided into two groups. One received the standard invasive angiography. The other had the 40 minute MRI perfusion scan of the heart, to decide whether to send the patient on for invasive angiography.
The two groups had similar outcomes for patients' health with under 4% of patients in both groups having cardiac events (such as heart attacks), in the following year. However, the group whose treatment was dictated by their MRI scan had significantly fewer procedures, with only 40% of this group going on to have invasive angiography. Only 36% of the MRI group went on to have revascularization, compared to 45% in the other group.
Professor Eike Nagel, a consultant cardiologist and chair in Clinical Cardiovascular Imaging at King's College London, led the research. He said: "Personalizing patients' treatment for angina will mean that we can target the more invasive treatments only to those patients that really need them.
"We have shown that MRI imaging, which is less invasive than current diagnostic tests, could mean that patients' initial visits to the hospital are quicker and more patient-friendly, and that they are less likely to have further procedures. But crucially the outcomes for patients of taking this approach were similar, so there is no negative impact of directing treatment in this way only to those we're sure need it.
"We are really grateful to patients across Europe who participated in the study."
Source: Eurekalert
Tips to Prevent Heart Attacks
Heart Attack occurs when the flow of oxygenated blood to heart muscles is hindered or stopped due to built-up of plaques in coronary arteries. Heart Attack is the No.1 killer among Indians.
Advertisement
 Diet, Lifestyle and Heart DiseaseThe correlation between diet, lifestyle and heart disease. The importance of balanced diet life style and exercise for controlling heart disease. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Reading
Latest Heart Disease News
An association between asymptomatic, CT angiography-detected coronary artery disease and increased heart attack risk identified.
Supervised exercise therapy is safe for people living with one of the most common types of heart failure, known as heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
Watch out: Cardiac arrest may cause anxiety and depression in women even after four months.
Both cigarettes and smokeless tobacco, a non-combustible form of tobacco exposure are associated with an increased risk of developing peripheral artery disease.
Researchers uncovered an association between heart disease and chronic kidney disease.