Newer drug-coated stents have similar life expectancy rates as traditional bypass surgery, according to a clinical registry study led by Dr. Edward Hannan, distinguished professor emeritus of health policy, management and behavior at SUNY Albany’s School of Public Health and cardiologists at NYU Langone Medical Center.

The article, appearing in the New England Journal of Medicine, highlights for the first time that the risk of death associated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with everolimus-eluting stents was similar to that associated with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. PCI was associated with a higher risk of myocardial infarction (heart attack) among patients with incomplete revascularization and repeat revascularization, but a lower stroke risk.

In the study, a sample of more than 9,000 patients who received the latest stents were no more likely to die in the few years following the procedure, compared to a matched sample of more than 9,000 patients who underwent bypass surgery instead.

Click here to read more about the study.  http://www.albany.edu/news/59318.php