When a large coronary artery becomes narrowed due to plaque build-up, a drug-eluting stent (DES) is just as safe as a bare-metal stent (BMS) for opening a narrowed vessel, according to a large study presented at the 2010 American Heart Associations Scientific Sessions. Patients with DES and BMS had similar rates of deaths and heart attacks. The study compared the safety and effectiveness of three types of stent: bare-metal stents, stents that eluted the drug sirolimus and those that eluted the drug everolimus.
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