Drug-coated stents show high clot risk

Drug-coated stents raise the risk of potentially lethal blood clots in heart patients as much as fivefold compared with bare-metal devices, a Cleveland Clinic Foundation study has found.

The researchers analyzed 14 studies involving 6,675 heart patients who received the two stent models sold in the U.S. Concerns about stent-related clotting first drew attention in September, when European doctors tied drug-coated stents to higher death rates.

The study was published in the American Journal of Medicine. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel next week will consider limits on the devices because of clotting risks. The $6-billion-a-year global market for drug-coated stents is dominated by Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific Corp.