KCUR: Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute lead researcher speaks to his role in groundbreaking international cardiology trial

A new groundbreaking study is helping cardiologists across the globe to better understand and provide the most suitable treatments for their patients.

The ISCHEMIA (International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness with Medical and Invasive Approaches) trial involved nearly 5,200 patients in 37 countries. The trial compared initial invasive surgical treatment vs. managing with medication and lifestyle changes for stable ischemic heart disease and focused on surgical treatment vs. managing with medication and lifestyle changes for stable ischemic heart disease.

The results of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Philadelphia on Nov. 16th by Dr. John Spertus, director of health outcomes research at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute and co-principal investigator for the ISCHEMIA quality of life analysis.

KCUR talked to Dr. Spertus about the practice-changing trial.

"We should be tailoring our treatment recommendations to the goals and values of each individual patient, and with this data, I think we can feel very comfortable now going forward and be able to explain much more clearly what the advantages of a more invasive strategy is and what the disadvantages are," Spertus said.

Read the full KCUR article.

Learn more about the ISCHEMIA trial here.