Drug-Eluting Stents Effective in Diabetics

Sirolimus-eluting stents were associated with reduced late luminal loss compared to bare-metal stents

TUESDAY, Oct. 16 (HealthDay News) -- Sirolimus-eluting stents are both safe and highly effective for patients with coronary artery disease and diabetes mellitus, according to a study published online Oct. 6 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Dietrich Baumgart, M.D., of the University Duisburg-Essen, Essen, Germany, and colleagues conducted a study of 200 patients with diabetes and newly diagnosed coronary artery lesions, of whom 98 were randomized to receive sirolimus-eluting stents, while 102 received bare-metal stents.

Among the sirolimus group, in-segment late luminal loss was 0.18mm, compared with 0.74 mm for the bare-metal group. Restenosis was identified in 8.8 percent and 42.1 percent of the sirolimus and bare-metal groups, respectively. Revascularization was performed in 5.3 percent of the sirolimus group compared to 21.1 percent of the bare-metal group. Major adverse cardiac events at 12 months were lower in the sirolimus group than the bare-metal group (14.7 percent versus 35.8 percent, respectively).

The study demonstrates excellent results for diabetic patients treated with sirolimus-eluting stents, the authors wrote. "To date, clinical studies have not been adequately designed nor have they been large enough or sufficiently powered to reveal detailed results with respect to the safety and effectiveness of sirolimus-eluting stents in the high-risk group of diabetic patients," they concluded.

This study was supported by a grant from Cordis, Johnson & Johnson, Langenfeld, Germany.

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