The advent of drug-eluting stents dramatically reduced the restenosis (reclogging) rate associated with bare-metal stents but prompted new concerns about the rare but potentially lethal complication of stent thrombosis (ST). Cardiologists have relied upon dual antiplatelet therapy to prevent ST but there has been considerable uncertainty and controversy about the ideal duration of therapy. The…
Big Study Looks At Length of Drug Treatment After Stent Implantation
November 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Study Offers Reassurance About Newer Drug-Eluting Stents
July 1, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Drug-eluting stents (DES) have been viewed as a great advance over earlier stents and balloon angioplasty because they result in many fewer cases of restenosis. But enthusiasm for the first generation of DES was somewhat curbed due to reports of late stent thrombosis (ST), a rare but very dangerous complication. Now findings from a large ongoing…
Studies Examine Less Burdensome Dual Antiplatelet Regimens
September 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Two new studies published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology offer hope but not, yet, compelling evidence to support less burdensome requirements for dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. In the first study, Spanish investigators followed 1,622 consecutive patients who received a drug-eluting stent (DES) for one year. They found…
Xience Stents Gain European Nod For Three-Month Dual Antiplatelet Therapy
May 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment
The biggest drawback to drug-eluting stents has been the requirement for prolonged dual antiplatelet (DAPT) therapy following stent implantation to prevent stent thrombosis and other potential complications. The precise length of DAPT has been the subject of considerable discussion and research. Now the Xience Prime and Xience V everolimus-eluting stents have received the CE Mark…
Large Meta-Analysis Finds Very Low Thrombosis Rates for Xience Stent
March 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment
A large new meta-analysis published in the Lancet provides the best evidence yet that the cobalt-chromium everolimus eluting (CoCr-EES) stents (Xience and Promus) have a significantly lower rate of stent thrombosis than bare-metal stents BMS) and other drug-eluting stents (DES). Tullio Palmerini and colleagues analyzed data from 49 randomized trials comparing different stents in more than 50,000 patients….
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