Doctors and patients have noticed for decades that after both heart bypass surgery and angioplasty procedures to implant stents, some patients exhibit a decline in mental skills. Now a new German study shows that, indeed, patients who have either invasive bypass surgery or less-invasive stenting procedures for blocked arteries suffer a decline in memory and thinking skills a few months later.
The study, published in the American Heart Journal, studied 47 patients who were undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and 37 patients who were getting a stent placed.
Before surgery, both groups of patients, who were in their 60s and 70s, underwent a series of cognitive tests along with 33 healthy volunteers who served as controls. Three months after surgery, all three groups were tested again.
The test scores of patients who underwent coronary bypass dropped on seven of the 10 tests compared to the controls. Scores of those in the stent group decreased on two tests.
The researchers said the study didn't show how much impact the decline in mental skills had on the average patient's everyday life, but even a small cognitive decline in some patients could mean the difference between being independent and needing assistance.
Still, some experts weren't convinced that either procedure caused the mental decline. As to the difference in test scores between bypass and stents, they said those who underwent the more invasive bypass probably had more severe atherosclerosis than those who underwent stenting.
Patients who are treated with CABG are often in a worse state of health with more plaque buildup, than those who undergo stenting, they said. The study results could be that "cognitive decline after these procedures more relates to the severity of the atherosclerosis than the procedure itself," Dr. Mark Newman of Duke University Medical Center, told Reuter's Health. "I think that's still a debate," said Newman, who wasn't involved in the study.
Still, the rate of CABG surgeries has been declining. According to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, bypass surgeries dropped by a third in 2008 compared to 2001, while the rate of angioplasty procedures to implant stents remained steady.
The best course of action is to keep your heart healthy so there will be no need for either procedure. "Relatively simple changes can help keep your heart in peak condition," says Dr. Russell Blaylock, editor of the Blaylock Wellness Report.
Blaylock recommends these nutritional changes to protect your heart:
• Eat five to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day (mainly high-nutrient dense vegetables, such as broccoli, greens, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and kale).
• Avoid excess sugar.
• Drink purified water or white tea.
• Increase the intake of good fats (DHA) and avoid bad fats (omega-6 fats).
• Avoid seafood high in mercury. "Studies have shown that people with heart failure have heart mercury levels far higher than normal," Blaylock said.
• Take CoQ10."CoQ10 is a major energy molecule for the heart, and statin drugs that lower cholesterol can severely reduce levels of CoQ10," Blaylock said.
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