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Stent’s Benefits Outweigh Disadvantages

by Medindia Content Team on Dec 27 2005 11:29 AM

The drug-eluting stent which costs US$ 2,300 is used for heart diseases, and prevents the recurrence of clogging arteries. Even though they are likely to result in allergic reactions, the risks are far outweighed by its benefits, according to recent studies.

The Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Dr. Charles Davidson has said that the use of drug-eluting stent should not be limited. The new drug-eluting stents are Cypher and Taxus. There has been a 20% re-clogging in the case of the old stents, which should ideally between 5% to 8%. The allergies were chiefly like difficulty experienced while breathing, rashes, itching, hives, and joint pain. Very few stent problems get reported.

Sources from Cordis Corp which manufactures Cypher stent do not fully agree with the findings of the study, as they contend that high quality studies conducted previously have not witnessed any cases of allergies. A skin test is sought to be developed by the researchers which will reveal if the patient is likely to suffer from a stent allergy.


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