The insertion of heart stents, which have long been used to open blocked arteries and relieve chest pain in patients, is useless for many, The New York Times reports.
The revelation is the result of a new study that focused on the insertion of stents to open blocked arteries. The tiny wire cages, which are lifesaving when used during a heart attack, can cost from $11,000 to $41,000 at U.S. hospitals.
The new study stunned many leading cardiologists and raises the question of whether stents should be used at all to treat chest pain, according to the Times.
“It’s a very humbling study for someone who puts in stents,” says Dr. Brahmajee K. Nallamothu, an interventional cardiologist at the University of Michigan.
Dr. William E. Boden, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at Boston University School of Medicine, called the results “unbelievable.”
