Drug Eluting Stents vs. Bare Metal Stents: An Analysis of Stent Restenosis and Mortality Rates

Abstract

The purpose of this research project is to find clarity in the recent media publicity surrounding drug eluting stents. As a cardiac cath lab worker, I felt that it was imperative that I research this topic further due to the fact that I work with both bare metal and drug eluting stents on a day to day basis. I believe that knowing the findings of this study will make me better at my job and help me to feel more comfortable with my patients. Researching the topic of drug eluting versus bare metal stents is something that I felt would be easy due to the recent media attention. There were, in fact, many articles online and in journals about this topic, however, it was hard to find unbiased information online. I did however find several unbiased articles and was able to conclude my study in a positive way. Recent media hype has deemed drug-eluting stents dangerous. To research this topic, several studies were concluded with more than one thousand participants each. The results of these studies varied greatly. Several studies concluded that there was not a greater risk of using a drug eluting stent than using a bare metal stent. Others, however, disagreed. Restenosis rates were studied as well as mortality rates and acute myocardial infarction rates. A key factor that was shown to be a major contributing factor to in drug eluting stent restenosis was the compliance of the patient in using his/her post stent anticoagulant therapy. I will compare these studies, and hopefully shed light on the situation of controversy. In my research findings, I will differentiate drug eluting stents and bare metal stents, explain restenosis, and hopefully shed some light on the negative attention that has been given to drug eluting stents over the past several months.