ORIGINAL ARTICLES  THROMBOSIS FORUM 

Minerva Medica 2010 February;101(1):9-23

Copyright © 2010 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Drug-eluting stents: limitations of early generation and progress with newer generation devices

Khattab A. A., Windecker S. ✉

Department of Cardiology, Bern University Hospital, Bern, Switzerland

The success of first generation drug-eluting stents, namely by reducing restenosis and the need of repeat revascularization procedures is hampered by some limitations affecting device safety. Intense research efforts helped to identify these shortcomings and direct research to develop newer generation drug-eluting stents with the potential to circumvent these drawbacks. This review will discuss limitations of early generation drug-eluting stents, focus on solutions provided by newer generation devices, and shed light on unresolved issues and potential future solutions.