Study: Drug-coated stents perform better

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 24 (UPI) -- A U.S. study suggests that drug-coated coronary artery stents are more effective than bare metal stents in patients with complex heart disease.

Dr. Oscar C. Marroquin, director of the Center for Interventional Cardiology Research at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and colleagues analyzed records from 6,551 patients who were treated with either drug-coated stents or bare metal stents and whether the use was standard or off-label.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that drug-coated stents reduced the need for repeat procedures without an increased risk of heart attacks or death at one year when compared to bare metal stents.

Stents are tiny metal mesh tubes used to treat blocked heart arteries. Drug-coated stents reduce the amount of scar tissue formation, resulting in a lower likelihood of artery re-narrowing over time when compared to bare metal stents, the researchers said in a release.

The study was conducted in response to the Food and Drug Administration's call for more data on the use of drug-coated stents in high-risk patients.