Drug-Eluting Stents: Risks and Benefits

Cardiologists have been discussing emerging evidence that drug eluting stents (DES), as effective tools in coronary artery diseases. DES may inhibit the growth of the normal tissue that, typically, will eventually coat bare metal stents. This normal tissue inhibits blood clotting on the stent. A stent is a latticed, metal scaffold that is placed within the coronary artery to keep the vessel open. Drug-eluting stents are coated in a drug that reduces the likelihood of the artery from becoming narrow again after surgery. Once implanted into the artery, the drug is slowly absorbed into the tissues surrounding the stent. Heart attacks are the major causes of death and disability and are the result of inadequate blood flow to the heart caused by blocked arteries. Despite the large amount of favorable benefits ands long-term data on the use of drug-eluting stents from randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses and observational studies, the long-term safety of drug-eluting stents, especially regarding late and very late stent thrombosis, remains a major concern. This article mainly deals with benefits and risk factors of drug eluting stents. Keywords: Coronary artery disease, Randomized controlled trials, Stent thrombosis.