What is a drug-coated stent?
A stent is a mesh metal tube inserted after angioplasty to keep the artery propped open. Drug-coated stents (also called drug-eluting stents) provide an additional benefit: They release a medication that prevents scarring during the first few weeks after insertion, when scarring is most likely to occur. With traditional stents, about 20% of patients who undergo angioplasty experience restenosis – scarring of tissue around the stent – which can narrow or block the artery again. Use of a drug-coated stent dramatically lowers the patient’s risk of needing another procedure due to restenosis. Although drug-coated stents were just approved by the FDA in April 2003, cardiac patients at BWH have had access to these devices for years, through clinical trials. BWH physicians have been pioneers in all phases of the development of drug-coated stents, and continue to participate in and direct clinical trials offering new generations of these devices to patients.
The newest type of metal struts used to expand blockages in heart arteries look like small springs found in pens. They help relieve chest pain or stop heart attacks. The older, bare metal stents eventually reblocked with scar tissue 15% of the time. With the new coated stents releasing very small doses of a chemical similar to chemotherapy, scar tissue is prevented and the risk of reblocking is now down to less than 2% in patients followed for over three years.
A drug-coated (also called “drug-eluting”) stent slowly releases drugs that potentially prevent arterial scarring, and reduce the possibility of restenosis. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved two brands of drug-coated stents, among others: the Cypher Sirolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent manufactured by Cortis Corporation (a division of Johnson & Johnson), and the Taxus Express Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System manufactured by Boston Scientific Corporation. Click here for a list of recently-approved medical devices from the FDA, with links to consumer information. Drug-Coated Stents Recent News In a recent statement (updated September 14, 2006), the FDA said that it has been closely monitoring drug-coated stents since they entered the U.S. market in 2003 and 2004, and will continue to do so. New data suggests that there is a small but significant risk of stent thrombosis (blood clotting in the stent).
These are the newest type of metal struts that look like small springs found in pens. These are expanded in the blockages in the heart arteries to relieve chest pains or stop heart attacks. The older bare metal stents reblocked with scar tissue 15% of the time. The new coated stents release a chemical similar to chemotherapy in very small doses to prevent the scar tissue. With these stents the risk of reblocking is now down to less than 2% in patient followed for over three years.
