HealthCare News
Giving Plavix Before Angioplasty May Cut Heart Attack Risk: StudyTUESDAY, Dec. 18 (HealthDay News) -- Giving the anti-clotting drug Plavix to patients before they undergo treatment to open narrowed heart arteries lowers their risk of heart attack but does not lower their overall risk of death, a new study finds. Treatment with Plavix (clopidogrel) is recommended before patients with heart attack or unstable angina (chest pains) undergo procedures such as angioplasty and stenting. However, it hadn't been determined whether giving patients Plavix before these procedures improves their outcomes. So, researchers reviewed data from more than 37,000 patients who took part in 15 studies published between 2001 and 2012. According to a team led by Dr. Anne Bellemain-Appaix of La Fontonne Hospital in Antibes, France, pretreatment with Plavix before angioplasty/stenting was associated with a reduced risk of major coronary events. Read entire article... | 
