Drug-eluting stent
A drug-eluting stent (DES) is a thin tube that is used to treat narrowed arteries in medical procedures. It releases drugs to prevent the growth of scar tissue and reduce the risk of stent restenosis, which is the narrowing of the stented area of an artery after treatment. A drug-eluting stent is different from other types of stents because it has a coating that delivers medication directly to the arterial wall. A DES is often made of metal alloys and can be inserted into blocked or narrowed arteries through a catheter placed in a peripheral artery, such as in the arm or leg. DES is fully integrated with a catheter delivery system and is viewed as one integrated medical device.
| Drug-eluting stent | |
|---|---|
An example of a drug-eluting stent. This is the TAXUS Express2 Paclitaxel-Eluting Coronary Stent System, which releases paclitaxel. The system consists of a catheter delivery element, an inflation system, and the drug-eluting stent itself. They are marketed as one integrated system. | |
| ICD-9-CM | 00.55 |
| MeSH | D054855 |
DES medical devices are commonly used in the treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD), by opening narrowed arteries caused by atherosclerosis. Such stents are also commonly used to treat peripheral artery disease and at the site of other stenotic or occlusive lesions caused by a number of disease states Over the last three decades, coronary stenting has matured into a primary minimally invasive treatment tool in managing CAD.
Coronary artery stenting is inherently tied to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) procedures. PCI is a minimally invasive procedure performed via a catheter (not by open-chest surgery), it is the medical procedure used to place a DES in narrowed coronary arteries. PCI procedures are performed by an interventional cardiologist using fluoroscopic imaging techniques to see the location of the required DES placement. PCI uses larger peripheral arteries in the arms or the legs to thread a catheter/DES device through the arterial system and place the DES in the narrowed coronary artery or arteries. Multiple stents are often used depending on the degree of blockage and the number of diseased coronary arteries that are being treated. As of 2023, more than 90 percent of stents used in PCI procedures were DES.
Drug-eluting stents in current use were approved by the FDA after clinical trials demonstrated they were superior to prior non-drug eluting or bare-metal stents. There is significant clinical data relating to the use and outcomes of DES, general stents, PCI and coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. As of 2023, DES devices are a primary choice of interventional cardiologists and the use of bare metal stent (BMS) systems is less common. DES products hold an advantage over BMS offerings. Based on long-term outcomes, the quality of life for individuals with cardiac conditions has been measurably enhanced through the use of DES technologies and PCI procedures.