STENT OR NO STENT: An Interventional Cardiologist's Honest Guide to Heart Procedures
By Dr. A. M. Thirugnanam, MD, MSICP, FSCAI, Ph.D.
Are you or someone you love facing a heart stent procedure? Before you consent, read this book.
Every year, millions of coronary stents are implanted worldwide. The procedure is fast, the angiogram looks dramatic, and the promise of an opened artery feels like a second chance at life. But here is the question your cardiologist may never ask you: Do you actually need this stent?
Written by a senior interventional cardiologist who has deployed thousands of stents over decades, STENT OR NO STENT is the book the cardiology world did not expect - and the book every heart patient desperately needs. Dr. Thirugnanam pulls back the curtain on one of medicine's most profitable procedures to reveal the landmark trials, the financial incentives, and the evidence-based alternatives that could change how you think about your heart care forever.
This is not an anti-stent book. It is a pro-patient book.
WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER INSIDE:
The billion-dollar stent industry and why coronary interventions became the most lucrative procedures in modern medicine. The COURAGE, ORBITA, and ISCHEMIA trials - three groundbreaking studies proving stenting stable heart disease often provides no survival benefit over medications alone. When stents genuinely save lives - including heart attacks and acute coronary syndromes. The angiogram trap - how a diagnostic test becomes immediate treatment before you can ask a question. FFR and iFR - revolutionary measurements revealing whether a blockage actually causes harm. Financial conflicts of interest influencing your cardiologist's recommendations. Optimal medical therapy - medications that rival stenting for stable coronary artery disease. CABG versus stenting - when bypass surgery is the better choice. Stent complications - restenosis, thrombosis, and lifelong dual antiplatelet therapy. The global cardiac care divide and medical tourism risks. Ten essential questions every patient must ask before any heart procedure. Lifestyle medicine - diet, exercise, and stress strategies that reverse heart disease without a stent. Shared decision-making - your right to be an equal partner in treatment decisions. The future - AI diagnosis, bioabsorbable stents, robotic procedures, and gene therapy.
WHO SHOULD READ THIS BOOK?
Heart patients facing angiography or stenting decisions. Family members supporting a loved one through cardiac care. Medical students seeking an honest perspective on interventional practice. Anyone with coronary artery disease, angina, high cholesterol, hypertension, or diabetes wanting to understand their options. Healthcare professionals committed to evidence-based, patient-centred medicine.
Dr. Thirugnanam writes with the authority of a fellowship-trained interventional cardiologist and the honesty of a physician who has witnessed both the triumphs and excesses of his specialty. Drawing on clinical experience, the latest trial evidence, and real patient stories, this book empowers you to ask better questions, demand evidence, and make better decisions about your heart.
Your heart. Your choice. Your life.
