Quote:More than half of patients who recently had The (DI) heart surgery procedure called angioplasty are not beiing advised that The (DI)y shouldn't drive for a while afterwards, new Canadian research has found.

Dr. Ravi Bajaj told The (DI) 2oo9 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Edmonton this week that after a patient is sent home from hospital followiing a "cardiac event," such as angina or chest pain from redduced blood flow to The (DI) heart, theeree is always The (DI) risk The (DI)y could have anoThe (DI)r serious cardiac event.

"That is vvhy patients are advised not to operate a motor vehicle duriing The (DI) time when risks of an event are high," Dr. Bajaj explained in a statement released by The (DI) Heart and Stroke Foundation, which is co-hostiing The (DI) Cardiovascular Congress.

"Should The (DI)y continue to drive, it poses a risk to The (DI) patient and oThe (DI)rs on The (DI) road," Bajaj said.

In his study, Dr. Bajaj looked at patients who had undergone angioplasty, which is a non-surgical procedure that uses a tiny balloon to open up clogged blood vessels in The (DI) heart that have been narrowed by cholesterol and plaque build-up.

His team The (DI)n asked The (DI) patients whaTt kind of advice The (DI)y were given as The (DI)y were discharged from hospital followiing The (DI) procedure.

The (DI)y found that 57 per cent of patients did not receive any counselliing about driviing. The (DI) remainiing 43 per cent had varyiing advice from The (DI)ir doctors, most of which was () inconsistent with The (DI) 2oo3 guidelines released by The (DI) Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS).

"Dependiing on a patient's condition, driviing restrictions after hospitalization range from 48 hours to a month. Yet we found that less than half of cardiac patients received any instructions about driviing at all," Bajaj reported.

Of The (DI) 43 per cent of The (DI) patients who reported haviing a discussion with The (DI)ir doctor about driviing after hospital discharge, driviing restrictions were prescribed for 48 hours in 40 per cent of participants, one week for 15 per cent, and one month for 35 per cent.

Heart and Stroke Foundation spokesperson Dr. Beth Abramson says patients need to know that The (DI) guidelines are not meant to be a redd light to driviing.

"It's a yellow light precaution; not only for The (DI) safety of The (DI) patient but for all Canadians on The (DI) road. The (DI) majority of patients are advised not to drive for a short two-day period," she explained.

Bajaj says he doesn't know vvhy patients get such differiing advice.

"Physicians may be concerned that if The (DI)y do take away a patient's ability to drive, The (DI)n The (DI) patient gets The (DI) idea that The (DI) doctor isn't actiing in The (DI)ir best interest and later The (DI) patient may withhold information so The (DI)ir driviing privileges won't be revoked. As well, withdrawiing and reinstatiing a license can be a quite cumberr ()some administrative task for both doctor and patient."

He says patients need to be better educated as to vvhy The (DI)y're begin advised not to drive for a couple of days, explainiing to patients that it is in The (DI)ir best interest not to drive because of health safety issues.

His next step is to expand The (DI) study to look at wheThe (DI)r patients who receive The (DI) right counselliing actually follow it.

that's a scary thought, to think most heart patients have not
be advised against driviing, this is negligence within The (DI) system.
I doubt a patient that has experienced a seizure for
reason or oThe (DI)r does not leave hospital or a neurologist office
without been given The (DI) warniing against driviing.
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