Complete Heart Fix or Just the Bad Spot? A Fresh Look at NSTEMI Treatment

The SLIM study tested two ways to treat heart attacks that do not show the classic ST‑segment rise on an ECG. One method clears all blocked arteries (complete revascularization). The other fixes only the artery that caused the attack (culprit‑only). A new analysis uses Bayesian statistics, which gives a probability that one method works better than the other. This is different from older methods that only say “statistically significant” or not.The new results show a higher chance that treating all blocked arteries reduces the risk of death, another heart attack, repeat procedures, and stroke. In other words, patients are more likely to survive and stay healthy when all arteries are cleared. The Bayesian approach also shows the uncertainty around this finding. It tells doctors how confident they can be about choosing one strategy over the other. This fresh look helps clinicians weigh the benefits of a more aggressive treatment against its risks. It also encourages future studies to use probability‑based analysis.