Surgery Better for Diabetics Than Balloon Angioplasty, Study Finds

Balloon angioplasty is as effective as bypass surgery in clearing blocked arteries in patients who are otherwise healthy, but surgery is better for those who are diabetic, according to the largest study ever to compare the two techniques. Both are used to clear arteries in patients with severe coronary artery disease.

The multicenter team studied 914 patients who received a bypass and 915 who underwent angioplasty. They report in today’s New England Journal of Medicine that the five-year death rates were virtually identical, 1.3% for bypass and 1.1% for angioplasty. Among diabetics, however, the five-year mortality rate was 19.4% for bypass, compared to 34.5% for angioplasty.