Given the choice most people prefer to avoid surgery unless it's absolutely necessary, but a new study found people with heart disease could add a decade onto their lives by having bypass surgery.
Researchers at Duke University found heart-failure patients with clogged arteries had a better chance of living 10 years longer if they had bypass surgery and took medications, as opposed to just taking medications.
"One of the things that people don't realize is that heart disease, in some cases has a worse survival than cancer," said Dr. Ara Pridjian, Medical Director for Cardiac Surgery at Sparrow Hospital.
Dr. Pridjian says this study confirms what many doctors thought about bypasses and may lead them to recommend surgery.
"That has to be weighed against the fact that bypass surgery has a risk," Dr. Pridjian noted. "Once you get over that risk your chances of long-term survival are greater with bypass surgery than they are with medications."
Plus he says the study is credible because it looked at more than 1,200 patients worldwide.
"The size of the study and the fact that it was randomized makes it a very powerful study," Dr. Pridjian added.
For patients like Rick Wendorf with heart failure, it's just another advancement giving them more hope.
"We have so much available to us now that we haven't had in years," Wendorf said. "Everyday there's a new break through."
Even though Wendorf isn't a candidate for bypass he says this study could help more patients make a difficult decision.
"Life is just a blessing and we have to live every day as if it was our last gift," Wendorf added.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and affects nearly 23 million people according to the American Heart Association.
