Drug-eluting coronary stents - focus on improved patient outcomes.
The development of stent has been a major advance in the treatment of obstructive coronary artery disease since the introduction of balloon angioplasty. Subsequently, neointimal hyperplasia within the stent leading to in-stent restenosis emerged as a major obstacle in long-term success of percutaneous coronary intervention. Recent introduction of drug-eluting stents is a major breakthrough to tackle this problem. This review article summarizes stent technology, reviews progress of drug-eluting stents and discusses quality of life, patient satisfaction, and acceptability of percutaneous coronary intervention.
Department of Cardiovascular Diseases, The John Ochsner Heart and Vascular Institute, Ochsner Clinic Foundation, New Orleans, LA, USA.
Zehra
Z
Jaffery
Amit
A
Prasad
John H
JH
Lee
Christopher J
CJ
White