The Washington Times has a good brief article on the new fears that drug-coated stents (the little coil that’s put into coronary arteries to keep them open) are not as safe as originally believed.
Drug-coated stents might raise risk of blood clots – Nation/Politics – insider.washingtontimes.com
Doctors think these stents may raise the risk of life-threatening blood clots months and even years later unless people stay on Plavix, an anti-clotting drug whose long-term safety in stent patients has not been established.
Thousands of people are being urged to take the $4-a-day drug until more is known.
Thousands of others each day who develop new blockages are being treated by doctors no longer sure of what to do. Many are returning to the old metal stents, and some are fundamentally rethinking when to use stents at all and are considering alternatives such as bypass surgery or medications.
A Food and Drug Administration panel will meet on the issue Thursday and Friday. Medical journals are rushing studies into print, and powerful physicians’ groups are reconsidering treatment guidelines. Stents can be removed but only with surgery that mirrors the implantation procedure.
"It’s such a huge public health issue with so many people involved," said Dr. Robert Califf of Duke University, who worked on one study to be presented to the FDA.
Doctors also worry about overreacting to a risk that appears small — five or fewer clots in every 1,000 patients.
"The benefit of having a drug-eluting stent is tremendous," said Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
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