Making sense of the recent meta-analytical confusion concerning the safety of drug-eluting stents.
The safety of drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention has been questioned in several independent meta-analyses (i.e., systematic reviews of primary research studies employing statistical methods to provide pooled estimates) published or presented at the end of 2006. Other reviews and meta-analyses have followed in the beginning of 2007, albeit with unclear or conflicting results. This article provides a succinct perspective and critical appraisal of recently published meta-analyses focusing on DES safety, summarising key features and findings of each work, and recommending avenues for further research and practice.
Biondi-Zoccai
Giuseppe G L
GG
Interventional Cardiology, Division of Cardiology, University of Turin, Turin, Italy.
Agostoni
Pierfrancesco
P
Moretti
Claudio
C
Meliga
Emanuele
E
Sheiban
Imad
I