By Evan Falchuk
I have a friend who had a blocked cardiac artery. A couple of years ago he had angioplasty on it, and his doctor inserted stents. The stents got rid of his chest pain and other symptoms, but didn’t do anything to get at the underlying cause of the blockage, which had to do with an unhappy combination of genetics and a – perfectly admirable – taste for rich, fatty foods.
Like steak. More on that in a moment.
Before having the procedure, his doctors spent a lot of time with him explaining what the surgery would and wouldn’t do. In particular, the doctors explained that the stents would do their job, but he had to do his. He needed to eat better, exercise more, and take his medications. He’s followed most of that advice, and is doing well.
Unfortunately, his experience is not typical. A recently-published study found that more than 80% of patients who had gotten angioplasty and stents thought they were, alone, a cure for their problems.
These patients are wrong – so how can it be that they are coming to this strange conclusion?
