Drug-eluting stents and the future of coronary artery bypass surgery: facts and fiction.
The treatment of patients with coronary artery disease continues to evolve. Recent, exciting data on the use of drug-eluting stents in diseased coronary vessels has generated immense enthusiasm within the interventional community leading to claims that "drug-eluting stents will put bypass surgeons out of business." However, despite promising short-term and midterm outcomes of this revolutionary new technology, valid concerns regarding long-term safety and efficacy of drug-eluting stents persist. This review article evaluates current status of drug-eluting stents with special emphasis on real and potential drawbacks of this emerging percutaneous coronary interventional modality and its impact on the practice of coronary artery bypass surgery.
Department of Cardiac Surgery, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow, United Kingdom. drrajashahzad@hotmail.com
Shahzad G
SG
Raja
D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000639:trends*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000601:surgery*; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D015337:Multicenter Studies as Topic; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D015607:Stents; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D002317:Cardiovascular Agents