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Article: POPULAR DRUG-COATED STENTS ARE CHALLENGED; LOCAL DOCTORS SAY THE BENEFITS STILL OUTWEIGH THE RISKS OF THE DEVICES.(News)
- Article from:
- The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY)
- Article date:
- November 7, 2006
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Byline: James T. Mulder Staff writer
Doctors who use stents to open blocked heart arteries are fielding lots of calls from patients worried about new data that questions the safety of these devices.
In recent weeks, studies have suggested drug-coated stents, the newest and most popular kind of stents, can cause potentially fatal blood clots in a small percentage of patients years after being implanted.
Dr. Ron Caputo, the head of cardiology research at St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, said he's heard from about 75 percent of his patients, who are asking if the stents in their arteries are the drug-coated type and, if so, what they should ...