A stress test ....
What does it tell you? That you don't have an nearly fully blocked artery?
Basically, yes. Those tests are becoming pretty sensitive.
The doctor .... Her office is set up to crank out that and other tests.
I have my doubts about all those standartized guidlines, clinical pathways, standards of care, etc. I think that too often they are used without considering the individual case. It too often becomes a brain dead medico-legal matter.
I've known two young people who died of heart attacks within months of a clean stress test
If they had autopsies, the odds are that they did not have heart attacks. More likely, some fatal arrhythmias. But - anything can happen.
prevention,.... If that means a stress test every few years for everyone, gotta wonder...
We talk a lot about politics here, but the truth is that when I work, my one and only loyalty is to the patient in front of me. I'll do what I think is best in order to keep them alive and well.
About quittin' statins... why not, it can be done, people do it all the time. It just mkes sense to be careful about it. They have an anti-inflammatory effect... also, they tend to stabilize the endothelium of arteries... a sudden loss of that "may" increase odds for problems. One just has to be more careful. Maybe tapering the drug would be better? the last was just an educated guess. |
