I am hearing a lot about problems with new stents. What exactly is wrong with new stents?
Once bare-metal stents are installed, they are covered by the persons own smooth endothelium within a few weeks. This leads to a smooth surface-somewhat like a plaster coat on a rough wall. The new drug-eluting stents however have polymer coating that prevents the smooth endothelium from covering its surface. This leaves a rough surface exposed to the blood flow inside the artery, which leaves it prone to a blood clot (thrombus) formation. This problem is called late stent thrombosis. The blood clot formation can lead to heart attack and possible death. This potentially fatal problem is unique to drug-eluting stents.
