Family Life

03.30.09 | FL News Team

A type of controversial heart surgery is getting the thumbs-down in a new report. Researchers say the operation known as ventricular reconstruction does not offer a real benefit to most patients. The findings of their clinical trial were presented to a meeting of the American College of Cardiology meeting in Orlando, Florida.

In the surgery, a scarred portion of the heart is folded in on itself to try to prompt the heart to beat more effectively. It is meant to help people who are experiencing heart failure, a condition that affects about five million people a year in the U.S.

The study found eliminating the operation could save an average of more than 14-thousand dollars in hospital costs per patient. Results also show patients who don't have the surgery spend a half-hour less in the operating room.

The study was based on data from 96 medical centers in 23 countries. The findings were published in the "New England Journal of Medicine."