[throwaway34241]

>I would trade pain and recuperation for 3% less mortality.

May not only be pain, a relative had open heart surgery and can’t read anymore. Some risk of permanent brain and/or lung damage from surgery itself from strokes or pulmonary embolism (although not sure how that compares long term to stents).

I’d also take into account the percent of remaining life expectancy the recovery period takes up (although if it’s a few months that’s probably less than 3%).

Most worrying was another comment pointed out that lifestyle changes take better in the open heart surgery patients. Dietary intervention is effective for heart disease but most people can’t follow through. So it seems very plausible that some or all of the benefit (or even more than all) could come from essentially torturing people enough to scare them into making a lifestyle change. Which is still a real effect I guess, but some people may be capable of following through without that.