Drug-Coated Stent Prevents Restenosis

NEW YORK -New research shows stents coated with the antibiotic sirolimus are more effective in preventing restenosis - the renarrowing of blood vessels after an angioplasty.

The RAVEL trial, conducted by the Institut Cardiovasculaire Paris Sud, examined 238 patients. Half of the patients received coated stents, while the others received uncoated stents. One year after the procedure, 94 percent of those who received coated stents were restenosis free and had not had a major cardiac event, in comparison to 71 percent of those who received an uncoated stent.

Siroliums was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999 to prevent kidney transplant rejection.

Information from www.reuters.com