For readers in the local area, the story provides a glimpse of a minimally-invasive heart surgery approach that is “rare” in Texas. The story could have been improved in many ways. No evidence was given to describe the risks and benefits of the minimally invasive heart surgery. And the story only presented one positive patient experience. The plural of anecdote is not data. The medical evidence shows that the results and complications of minimally invasive surgery vary and may not be any better than other approaches – questions this story should have covered.
There is no discussion of the medical costs for open-chest CABG or for the newer minimally invasive heart surgery. The article does provides the cost of the special retractor, $5,000, that is used in the minimally invasive procedure. This is compared to the $2 million for a ‘robot’ that is used in other non-invasive procedures. But this is an incomplete view of the real costs of the procedures being discussed.
The story did describe the benefits of the minimally-invasive approach – smaller incision, lower risk of bleeding and infection, reduced post-operative discomfort and shorter hospital stay. But we look for the story to QUANTIFY benefits – how big (or small) are the potential benefits compared with other approaches? This story didn’t do that.
The story mentions potential harms such as risk of bleeding, infection, length of hospital stay, postoperative pain, and time to return to work are lower with minimally invasice heart surgery compared to open-chest CABG. However, it does not address the serious risks of heart attack, stroke or death.
This story does not provide any evidenced-based studies or supporting literature about minimally invasive heart surgery.
Should patients who are intending to have back surgery be evaluated for blocked heart arteries? Is the presence of one blockage sufficient indication for a patient to have bypass surgery even if it is only the minimally invasive kind?
The sources are two surgeons who use minimally-invasive approaches. So no truly independent source is interviewed. A better approach would have been to interview a cardiologist who does not do the surgery but who could provide a knowledgeable perspective.
The story mentioned some treatment options, open-chest CABG and robot assisted heart surgery. It did not discuss percutaneous coronary interventions or other medical treatments. We’ll give it the benefit of the doubt.
This story does state that minimally invasive heart surgery is not commonly available in medical centers across the country, or in Texas, because many cardiothoracic surgeons are not trained in this method and prefer conventional open-chest coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG).
The story tell us that the procedure is "rare" in Texas, but it is not clear how long this procedure has been done or the different types of minimally invasive surgery.
The story does not appear to rely solely on a news release.
Systematic, Criteria-Driven
Puleeeeease... this 'game changer' weight loss drug causes more nausea and vomiting than a placebo. Some game, some change. My friend Gary would spank you for using the eighth word medical reporters should never, ever use. @garyschwitzer @thackerpd
https://www.healthnewsreview.org/toolkit/just-journalists-writing-tips-case-studies/7-words-and-more-you-shouldnt-use-in-medical-news/ https://twitter.com/OttawaCitizen/status/1361426796126830597
A scary @statnews Op-Ed warns that govt attempts to rein in Pharma may cut off access to "life-changing" drugs.
It takes @garyschwitzer to let us know: the author spent 10 years as Pfizer's public-policy chief. https://twitter.com/garyschwitzer/status/1360325022578053123
.@TranspariMED criticizes STAT op-ed for not disclosing pharma funding of author’s institute - similar to criticism we’ve made of STAT op-eds in the past. @transparify @ThinkTankWatch @icer_review https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2021/02/transparency-watchdog-criticizes-stats-non-disclosure-on-pro-pharma-op-ed/
Comments
Please note, comments are no longer published through this website. All previously made comments are still archived and available for viewing through select posts.
Our Comments Policy
But before leaving a comment, please review these notes about our policy.
You are responsible for any comments you leave on this site.
This site is primarily a forum for discussion about the quality (or lack thereof) in journalism or other media messages (advertising, marketing, public relations, medical journals, etc.) It is not intended to be a forum for definitive discussions about medicine or science.
We will delete comments that include personal attacks, unfounded allegations, unverified claims, product pitches, profanity or any from anyone who does not list a full name and a functioning email address. We will also end any thread of repetitive comments. We don”t give medical advice so we won”t respond to questions asking for it.
We don”t have sufficient staffing to contact each commenter who left such a message. If you have a question about why your comment was edited or removed, you can email us at feedback@healthnewsreview.org.
There has been a recent burst of attention to troubles with many comments left on science and science news/communication websites. Read “Online science comments: trolls, trash and treasure.”
The authors of the Retraction Watch comments policy urge commenters:
We”re also concerned about anonymous comments. We ask that all commenters leave their full name and provide an actual email address in case we feel we need to contact them. We may delete any comment left by someone who does not leave their name and a legitimate email address.
And, as noted, product pitches of any sort – pushing treatments, tests, products, procedures, physicians, medical centers, books, websites – are likely to be deleted. We don”t accept advertising on this site and are not going to give it away free.
The ability to leave comments expires after a certain period of time. So you may find that you’re unable to leave a comment on an article that is more than a few months old.
You might also like