Mortality Risks

Mortality Risks Similar with Drug-Eluting and Bare-Metal Stents

Overall, drug-eluting and bare-metal stents carry similar mortality risks, while sirolimus-eluting stents may confer the least risk for target-lesion revascularization or MI, reports a meta-analysis in Lancet. Researchers examined data from 38 randomized controlled trials comparing sirolimus- and paclitaxel-eluting stents with each other or with bare-metal stents. Follow-up ranged from 6 months through 4 years.

The three stents did not differ in all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality, or overall stent thrombosis. The risk for late stent thrombosis, however, was about twice as high with paclitaxel-eluting stents than with the other types. In addition, while both drug-eluting stents decreased the risk for target-lesion revascularization, sirolimus-eluting stents were more protective than paclitaxel-eluting stents. Sirolimus stents were also associated with the lowest risk for MI.

"Sirolimus-eluting stents seem to be clinically better than bare-metal and paclitaxel-eluting stents," the authors conclude.

References::

Journal Watch
Published in Physician's First Watch September 14, 2007

From Lancet article (Free abstract; full text requires subscription) 2007;370(9591):937-48.