These drug-eluting stents yield a marked reduction in early reblockage compared with bare metal stents.

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But arteries often heal around the old, bare metal stents in a process called restinosis, re-clogging them and necessitating a second procedure.

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Bare metal stents cut that rate at least in half, and both Cypher and Taxus lower it again to a mere 5% or so.

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Unlike the other studies, the data do not come from patients who were randomized to get either bare metal stents or the newer drug-coated version.

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The introduction of bare metal stents (BMS) produced a significant improvement.

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The analyses presented at a European cardiology meeting last week differed on some key points, and some doctors say it is too early to decide to switch back to bare metal stents.

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These devices were designed as an improvement of older bare-metal stents that have been in use for a decade.

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Many say that perhaps 10% of patients who get stents should get the bare metal kind, and that the almost instant switchover to drug-coated stents that occurred after the products were launched was an overreaction.

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King is recommending that a third or more of patients who get drug-coated stents might do just as well with the older, bare metal variety.

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Drug-coated stents prevent arteries from re-closing better than the traditional, bare-metal kind--and right now Boston Scientific's drug-coated Taxus stent owns 60% of the stent market.

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Yes, doctors agreed, the stents prevent arteries from closing up again, as they do with older bare-metal versions, and that benefit seems to outweigh any danger.

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