Which Stent for Your Older Patient with Coronary Artery Disease?

Bare-metal stents are no safer than drug-eluting stents in this population.

Elderly patients have generally higher bleeding risks, warranting a minimized duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Studies on first-generation drug-eluting stents (DESs) showed a slower re-endothelialization than bare-metal stents (BMSs), resulting in recommendations for longer DAPT after a DES. Meanwhile, stent designs have progressed, with much reduced strut thickness. To examine contemporary stents, researchers randomized 1200 patients aged ≥75 with coronary artery disease undergoing PCI to a third-generation DES or a modern comparable BMS; the manufacturer of both stents funded the study (NCT02099617).

Regardless of stent type, duration of DAPT was 1 month in stable patients and 6 m…

Reviewing Author

Pascal Meier, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsOpen Heart

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesEuropean Society of Cardiology (Communication Committee); European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (Chair, Web & Communication Committee)

Pascal Meier, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsOpen Heart

Which Stent for Your Older Patient with Coronary Artery Disease?

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Reviewing Author