Living with coronary artery disease can be challenging, but it can be managed through a combination of changes in lifestyle, physical activity, diet and medical treatment. To treat your coronary artery disease, your physician has recommended that you have an angioplasty and coronary stent placement procedure (often referred to as PCI).
What is a coronary stent and how does it work?
Stents are tiny, expandable tubes made of metal mesh. The angioplasty procedure opens the artery, and stents are placed and expanded to fit the size, shape and bend of the artery. The stent remains in the artery after the procedure to help keep the artery open. Over time, the artery wall heals around the stent.
There are two kinds of coronary artery stents, uncoated and coated, known as bare-metal and drug-eluting. A drug-eluting stent is a bare-metal stent coated with a special drug and polymer to help reduce the chance of the artery becoming blocked again. The drug is released from the stent over the period of time when re-blockage is most likely to occur.
What are the benefits of drug-eluting stents?
Both bare-metal and drug-eluting stents have been shown to be effective in reducing the chance of re-blockage of a coronary artery. Key clinical studies show that patients who received a drug-eluting stent experienced more than a 70% reduction in the need for a second procedure (such as another coronary stent procedure or bypass surgery) to re-open the artery compared to patients who receive a bare-metal stent.1,2
Additionally, when a second procedure was required, patients who originally received a bare-metal stent were two times more likely than patients who received a drug-eluting stent to require bypass surgery to re-open the clogged artery.1,2
Are there risks associated with drug-eluting stents?
While both bare-metal and drug-eluting stents have been proven safe for reducing the chance of re-blockage of a coronary artery, as with any medical procedure, there are risks associated with drug-eluting stents and coronary stenting procedures in general. In addition to the risks described under Important Information, one potential risk that you may have heard about with drug-eluting stents is the possible formation of blood clots, known as stent thrombosis, which can lead to a heart attack or even death. Studies comparing patients receiving drug-eluting stents with patients receiving bare-metal stents show no difference in the rates of heart attack or death. In fact, both drug-eluting stents and bare-metal stents have a similar low risk of heart attack and equivalent survival rates.1,2
Drug-eluting stents remain safe and effective when used in accordance with their approved indications. Drug-eluting stents have significantly improved upon the benefits of bare metal stents while maintaining equivalent safety.
Which stent is right for you?
There are different benefits and risks associated with all treatments and procedures. We strongly recommend that you talk with your cardiologist to fully understand the benefits and risks regarding your stent procedure to determine the best treatment option in your individual case.
Important Information:
Boston Scientific's TAXUS® Express2™ Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System is intended to be placed into certain types and sizes of coronary arteries to keep them open. This medical device is not appropriate for use in patients who are known to have an allergy to any components of the device (such as the drug Paclitaxel, the SIBS polymer coating or 316L stainless steel) or who would otherwise be judged by a medical professional to not be appropriate candidates for placement of coronary stents (such as patients unwilling or unable to take prescribed antiplatelet medications). Use of coronary stents carries certain risks, including the potential for serious injuries, side effects and even death. The complete FDA-approved Directions for Use and Patient Information Guide (with specific indications, contraindications, precautions and warnings) can be found on the Internet at www.taxus-stent.com or a copy can be obtained, free of charge, by calling 1.877.TAXUS.411 (1.877.829.8741). Patients should discuss the benefits and risks with their physicians to determine whether the TAXUS Stent is an appropriate treatment choice. Federal law restricts this product to sale by or on the order of a physician.
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