Latest DES Analysis Stresses Importance of Physicians Well-Trained in Implantation Technique and Patient...( WASHINGTON Sept. 2 /- New data ab...),Health

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- New data about the safety of drug- eluting stents (DES) translates into excellent news for thousands of patients with cardiovascular disease, according to The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI). These new findings also underscore the crucial importance of training physicians in the proper selection of patients, proper implantation technique, and in prescribing a strict regimen of medications that prevent blood clots in the first one to two years after DES implantation.

Findings announced this morning from the European Society of Cardiology Congress indicate that patients treated with DES benefit from a 50 percent reduction in restenosis, the re-clogging of arteries that has plagued bare metal stents, with no increased long-term risk. This is in direct contrast to last year's findings based on shorter-term observation of patients from the same registry, which led to widespread concern about whether the devices cause dangerous blood clots and may have dissuaded some patients and their doctors from treatment with DES.

Describing the findings as "reassuring news for patients with cardiovascular disease," SCAI President Bonnie H. Weiner, M.D., FSCAI, Professor of Medicine and Interim Chair of Cardiovascular Medicine at St. Vincent Hospital at Worcester Medical Center in Worcester, MA said, "Patients and physicians have been confused about stents, and we have been concerned that last year's headlines may have prevented some patients from getting the best therapy. This report is consistent with all other data on the benefits of DES and reaffirms the value of drug-eluting stents as a highly effective tool to open blocked arteries and stop regrowth of plaque and scar tissue in those vessels."

After tracking over 13,000 patients for up to 4 years after implantation of stents, Swedish Coronary Angiography and Angiolasty Registry (SCAAR) lead investigator Dr. Stefan James stated that "drug
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