Heart attacks are one of the leading causes of death around the world. They happen when blood flow to part of the heart is suddenly blocked, preventing the heart muscle from getting enough oxygen.
If the blockage is not treated quickly, part of the heart muscle can become permanently damaged.
Doctors usually treat heart attacks by performing a procedure called angioplasty. During this procedure, doctors insert a thin tube into a blood vessel and guide it to the blocked artery. They then use a small balloon and often place a tiny metal tube called a stent to reopen the blocked blood vessel and restore blood flow to the heart.
Many people who suffer a heart attack do not have only one blocked artery. Instead, they often have several narrowed or blocked arteries. For years, doctors have debated the best way to treat these patients, especially older adults.
Traditionally, doctors focused on opening only the artery that directly caused the heart attack. This artery is often called the “culprit” or “guilty” artery. The idea behind this approach was simple.
Older patients often have other medical problems, such as kidney disease, diabetes, or frailty. Doctors worried that performing more extensive procedures might increase the risk of complications.
As a result, many older people received treatment for only the artery responsible for the heart attack, while other blocked arteries were left untreated.
However, new research suggests that this long-standing approach may not be the best option.
The study was led by Dr. Simone Biscaglia from Ferrara University Hospital in Italy. The researchers wanted to find out whether older patients would do better if doctors treated all major blocked arteries instead of only the one that triggered the heart attack.
The study included 1,445 patients who had experienced a heart attack and had blockages in more than one artery. About half of the participants were over the age of 80. Some patients received treatment only for the artery that caused the heart attack, while others underwent complete treatment in which all major blocked arteries were opened.
The results were striking. Patients who received complete treatment had a 36 percent lower chance of dying or having another heart attack within one year compared with those who had only the culprit artery treated.
When the researchers looked at a combination of important outcomes, including death, another heart attack, or the need for another heart procedure, the benefits remained clear. The risk of experiencing one of these major events was reduced by 27 percent among patients who received treatment for all major blocked arteries.
These findings challenge the previous belief that older adults should receive more limited treatment because of their age and other health conditions.
Dr. Biscaglia said the findings were exactly the opposite of what many doctors previously thought. According to him, opening all major blocked arteries should become the standard approach for older people after a heart attack.
Other heart specialists also praised the findings. Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a cardiologist at the University of California, Los Angeles, noted that earlier studies mainly focused on younger patients. This new research shows that older adults can also gain significant benefits from more complete treatment.
Dr. Gaurav Rao, a cardiologist in New York, agreed with the conclusions. He said the study shows that older patients do better over the long term when doctors treat all major blockages instead of focusing on only the artery that caused the heart attack.
The findings are particularly important because the world’s population is aging rapidly. More people are living into their 70s, 80s, and beyond, and heart attacks become increasingly common with age. Finding better ways to treat older adults could help many people live longer and maintain a better quality of life after a heart attack.
The researchers hope the study will lead to changes in medical guidelines. They believe that complete treatment of major artery blockages should be considered for heart attack patients with multiple narrowed arteries regardless of age, provided that the patient is suitable for the procedure.
The study was published in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the European Society of Cardiology meeting in Amsterdam. The findings suggest that age alone should not prevent older adults from receiving treatments that may improve their chances of survival and reduce the risk of future heart problems.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects risks of heart disease and cancer, and results showing strawberries could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
Copyright © 2026 Knowridge Science Report. All rights reserved.
