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Is the folk medicine known as "The Secret" efficient in reducing bleeding after percutaneous coronary procedures?: a

Charlie Ferry1, Serban Puricel2, Sonja Lehmann2

  • 1Cardiology, University of Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland charlie.ferry@unifr.ch.

Open Heart
|December 20, 2022
PubMed

Insights

This study found that "The Secret," a pagan prayer, did not reduce bleeding complications after percutaneous coronary interventions. Patient belief in its efficacy did not correlate with actual outcomes in reducing bleeding events.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Interventional Cardiology
  • Medical Ethics

Background:

  • Percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) carry a risk of bleeding complications due to arterial access and antithrombotic therapy.
  • Minimizing bleeding is crucial for patient safety and recovery after PCI procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the efficacy of "The Secret," a pagan prayer, in reducing post-interventional bleeding after PCI.
  • To assess patient perceptions regarding the potential benefits of spiritual interventions on medical outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • A randomized controlled trial was conducted at a single, tertiary care center.
  • 200 patients undergoing elective coronary angiography were randomized to receive "The Secret" in addition to standard care or standard care alone.
  • The primary outcome was in-hospital bleeding, categorized using the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) criteria.

Main Results:

  • No significant difference in bleeding rates was observed between the intervention group (receiving "The Secret") and the control group across all BARC severity levels (BARC 1, 2, 3, and 5).
  • Specifically, BARC 1 bleeding occurred in 16% vs. 14% (p=0.69) and BARC 2 in 12% vs. 13% (p=0.81).
  • A substantial majority (76%) of participants expressed a belief in the prayer's ability to prevent bleeding, despite the lack of observed effect.

Conclusions:

  • "The Secret" demonstrated no measurable effect on reducing bleeding complications following percutaneous coronary procedures.
  • While patients often believe in the positive impact of spiritual practices on healthcare, this study found no clinical benefit for this specific intervention.
  • Further research may explore the psychological impact of belief in interventions, but clinical efficacy for bleeding prevention was not supported.
Abstract

Keywords:
Cardiac CatheterizationCoronary AngiographyPercutaneous Coronary Intervention

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