Drug-coated stents allowing more people to avoid heart bypass surgery, doctors say

ORLANDO, Fla. – A new generation of tiny drug-coated metal scaffolds that prop open arteries has transformed heart care in just a few years and is allowing a growing number of people to avoid having bypass surgery.

The devices, called drug-coated stents, slowly release medication that prevents blood vessels from clogging up again after procedures to open them.

At an American College of Cardiology conference on Sunday, doctors reported that both brands sold today are equally good at keeping blood flowing smoothly, although one might be better for diabetics. Both are vastly better than the plain metal stents that were standard just a few years ago.

Benefits apparently last for years, and even big blockages in small vessels can be fixed this way. The devices work so well that when an older stent clogs, it is better to put a new drug-coated one inside it than to treat the problem with radiation as has been done in the past, one study found.

Competitors are being developed that could help cut the price of these devices. One type even dissolves in the body once its job is done.