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Stent

• Overview
• Risks

Alternative Names:

Drug-eluting stents

Risks:

Risks of stents and stent placement may include:

• Allergic reaction to stent material
• Allergic reaction to the drug used in a drug-eluting stent
• Blood clot
• Clogging of the inside of the stent (in-stent restenosis)
• Rupture of the duct or vessel when the stent is inserted

Drug-eluting stents may not be recommended for patients who had recent heart surgery, or women who are nursing or pregnant. Patients who receive a drug-eluting stent may need blood thinning drugs for at least several months.

The safety of drug-eluting stents -- and how well they work -- has not been studied in persons with a blockage in a heart bypass graft, who are having a heart attack, or who have had radiation treatment inside a blood vessel.

References:

Boden WE, O'rourke RA, Teo KK, et al. Optimal Medical Therapy with or without PCI for Stable Coronary Disease. N Engl J Med . 2007 Mar 26; [Epub ahead of print].

Winslow RD, Sharma SK, Kim MC. Restenosis and drug-eluting stents. Mt Sinai J Med . 2005 Mar;72(2):81-9.

Moreno R, Fernandez C, Hernandez R, Alfonso F, Angiolillo DJ, Sabate M, et.al. Drug-eluting stent thrombosis: results from a pooled analysis including 10 randomized studies. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2005 Mar 15;45(6):954-9.

• Review Date: 3/30/2007
• Reviewed By: Glenn Gandelman, MD, MPH, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, New York Medical College, Valhalla, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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