Can chelation therapy be used to prevent restenosis in patients following percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA)?
Recently a multicenter, retrospective study was completed on 220 patients with known vascular disease treated from 1992- 2001 with I.V. EDTA and followed for three years. This study demonstrated that in those patients who received chelation, fewer cardiac events occurred and less procedures were needed than the untreated group. Of the patients who received chelation only 4% needed repeat angioplasties and none required coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). In the untreated group 22.3 % needed repeat angioplasties and 11.8 % needed CABG. How frequently is EDTA chelation therapy used? It is estimated by the American College for Advancement in Medicine, a professional association that supports the use of chelation therapy, that more than 800,000 visits for chelation therapy were made in the United States in 1997 alone. Since the 1950s millions of EDTA infusions have been administered. Typically, 30 to 40 initial IV infusions are given and then the patient is re-evaluated for maintenance
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