NY TIMES REPORTS: New Trial Shows Drugs Equal Benefits of Artery Stents by Barnaby J. Feder
March 27, 2007 05:58

Many heart patients routinely implanted with stents to open arteries gain no lasting benefit compared to those treated with drugs. According to the study, patients treated withs tents don't live longer. This puts the entire stent industry into question. Clearly this study will decrease the use of stents by cardiologists. If drugs work just as well, except in the initial time frame right after a heart attack, then there seems to be little reason to implant a permanent device into the patient. Adding to this is the increased risk identified in some studies of medicated staents actually causing heart attacks later. So if ther eis no long term benefit and poerhaps an added long term risk, maybe doctors willstart to seek alternatives to the stent procedures.