Doubt Raised on Drug-Coated Heart Stents

Article in the Washington Post — Doubt Raised on Drug-Coated Heart Stents, by Maria Cheng:

    Experts expressed concerns Sunday that drug-coated heart stents — metal-mesh
    tubes used to prop open coronary arteries –may in rare instances lead to potentially
    fatal blood clots.

    Studies released Sunday at the World Cardiology Congress in Barcelona raised new
    concerns about the risks that may accompany the drug-coated stents, which were
    introduced in 2000 as an improvement on bare-metal stents.

    Nearly 6 million people worldwide now have the drug-lined versions. The devices
    are intended to keep arteries open after having been cleared of fatty deposits and are
    often credited with saving patients from future heart attacks or bypass surgery.