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Drug-eluting Stents - Bookmarks
Drug-Eluting Stents - What Causes Thrombosis?
Excellent article that describes recent studies on drug-eluting stents, including autopsy results.
In a nutshell: Drug-eluting stents increase risk of coronary artery thrombosis (clot). Drug-eluting stents reduce collateral vessel growth (vascularization). Vessel growth helps the heart handle the loss of blood flow if a clot occurs in the stent site in the coronary artery. So patients with drug-eluting stents not only are more likely to develop a clot, but for that clot to cause more damage due to reduced vascularization in the area of the clot.
Doctors suggest Plavix and aspirin treatment for at least a year to prevent thrombosis (clots).
Drug-eluting Stents
Drug-eluting Stents Reduce Collateral Blood Vessel Growth
Drug-eluting Stents Reduce Collateral Vessel Growth - New study indicates that drug-eluting stents may obstruct the heart's natural ability to form small collateral blood vessels - nature's bypass mechanism. For patients with coronary artery blockages, these vessels normally help supply blood to areas starved by artery blockages. The drug-eluting stents appear to hinder this natural, healing process.
Drug-eluting Coronary Artery Stents Increase Clot Risk
Drug-eluting Coronary Artery Stents Increase Clot Risk
Drug-eluting stents seem to prevent arterial lining from forming over stent. So when patients stop Plavix, clots form (due to exposed metal in artery lining from stent?).
One man, as prescribed by his doctor, stopped Plavix after one year and collapsed from a clot. I wonder: When the drug is gone from the drug-eluting stent (after 6 months?), will the artery lining form properly? Did not appear to do so with that 41 year-old man. If not, is Plavix is safe to take for long-term? Scientists speculate that the problems arise when these drug-eluting stents are used incorrectly, in vessels that are too narrow or where blockages too extensive.
Post Heart Attack, Late Use Of Stents May Not Help
Angioplasty & Stents Post Heart Attack - This was a little unexpected. Study indicates that using angioplasty or inserting stents more than 25 hours after a heart attack does NOT increase survival rates.
Where's the logic in that?
This article doesn't attempt to explain--in fact, doctors are perplexed by the result--but the piece is still worth reading.
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