Drug Reverses Deadly Angioplasty Complication

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 11 (HealthDay News) -- The drug nicardipine is effective in reversing a potentially deadly problem that occurs in some patients who have angioplasty, say researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Angioplasty is a procedure to clear arteries that have been clogged or narrowed by plaque. Each year in the United States, about 50,000 patients experience a condition called "no-reflow," after having a successful angioplasty.

In cases of no-reflow, it appears that the obstruction in an artery has been cleared and the artery is open, but there is no blood flow to the heart muscle. No-reflow occurs when plaque that's been dislodged during angioplasty releases chemicals that affect the small blood vessels in the artery, which causes the artery to spasm and prevents blood flow to the heart.

"No-reflow can be a potentially serious complication that places patients at high risk of heart attack or even death," Dr. Michael Savage, director of the catheterization laboratory and associate professor of medicine at Jefferson Medical College, said in a prepared statement.

This study looked at 72 angioplasty patients who developed no-flow and were treated with the calcium channel blocker nicardipine. In 71 of the 72 patients (98 percent), the no-flow problem was reversed. The treatment was well-tolerated, and none of the patients experienced low blood pressure, heart block, or required a temporary pacemaker.

The findings were expected to be published in the November issue of the journal Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.