Another Concern About Drug-Eluting Stents?

Six months after stent implantation, researchers observed worse coronary collateral flow with drug-eluting than with bare-metal devices.

The relative risk for late stent thrombosis with drug-eluting stents (DES) versus bare-metal stents (BMS) is being actively investigated (Journal Watch Cardiology Dec 20 2006). Researchers in Switzerland focused on one potential manifestation of the inhibitory effects of DES: limited coronary collateral growth.

They matched 60 consecutive recipients of DES (37 sirolimus-eluting, 23 paclitaxel-eluting) with 60 recipients of BMS on the basis of stenosis severity and follow-up duration. Patients underwent stenting of one stenotic lesion; follow-up angiography was conducted for recurrent chest pain. At 6 months after stenting, an index of coronary collateral flow (CFI) was derived by measuring distal coronary pressure during 1 minute of induced …

Reviewing Author

Howard C. Herrmann, MD