Did we enjoy the debate but forget the patient?

he number of percutaneous coronary revascularization rocedures performed has skyrocketed in recent years. The ationale for this acceleration has been the rapid and ustained relief of angina with percutaneous coronary revasularization and its ease of delivery relative to surgery. lthough it is clear that for the majority of patients ercutaneous and surgical revascularization therapies serve ainly as a symptomatic treatment, physicians and patients, onsciously or subconsciously, tend to give lesser value to otentially more important disease-modifying therapies. In atients with coronary artery disease (CAD), these diseaseodifying treatments include pharmacologic interventions uch as lipid-lowering agents, antiplatelet medications, ngiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blockers, nd lifestyle changes, such as smoking cessation, weight eduction, regular exercise, stress reduction, and so on.