Heart attack patients given the blood thinner Plavix, plus a proton pump inhibitor such as Prilosec or Nexium, may be at increased risk of death or another heart attack. Many patients are given Plavix (clopidogrel) to help reduce the risk of another heart attack after treatment for a first heart attack. Plavix makes blood platelets less sticky, helping to prevent clots from forming. Many doctors also prescribe proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which are drugs used to help prevent gastric reflux, but they help prevent gastrointestinal bleeding while taking Plavix.
For the study, the research team collected data on 8,205 patients discharged from 127 Veterans Affairs hospitals after suffering a heart attack or unstable angina. Among these patients, 63.9 percent were prescribed a proton pump inhibitor.The researchers found that 29.8 percent of patients given a PPI and Plavix died or were re-hospitalized, compared with 20.8 percent of the patients given Plavix alone. The combination of Plavix plus a PPI was associated with a 25 percent increase in the risk of dying or being re-hospitalized, compared to the use of Plavix alone. For any given patient, the risk of re-hospitalization was greater when both drugs were prescribed.
The findings were published in the March 4 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
In January, researchers reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that people taking Plavix and a proton pump inhibitor after a heart attack had a dramatically higher risk of a second heart attack than those taking Plavix alone.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
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In the cases of heart attack and cardiac arrest, or any other heart shocks, time sets to be the most crucial factor for the survival of the patient. Sometimes, a little knowledge regarding the immediate actions to be taken may help your near and dear ones to survive in such incidents. The response a person takes to treat a victim decides the probability of his/her survival. Its been my personal experience fighting to survive against a heart attack. A quick reorganization of your bodily responses may increase your chances of survival. Because of having many heart problems, I was enrolled in a concierge Healthcare program from elite health. I was attacked by a severe heart attack in a party, luckily surrounded by many people. Some of the sudden changes in my body was recognized by me and anticipated immediately. I got a very severe chest pain which was almost unbearable for more than a minute. I got the suspicion that I might be having heart attack, and immediately called my physician on the phone, and explained my condition and its severity. Because of the immediate guidance, I was directed immediately to have an aspirin which I used to carry with me as prescribed by my physician. It was quite a frightening experience for me to face such a heart attack, but somehow I managed to be calm until 911 arrived. I was immediately taken to the nearest hospital, where already my physician were present and have got everything setup according to my medical history. And it was in some matter of seconds that everything was in control. A doctor, who already have the complete knowledge of the medical history and fitness of the person, extra ordinarily ameliorate your recovery process. Hence such a concierge level program from Elite health, helped me a save my life, like many others.
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