The safety of drug-eluting stents

Drug-eluting stents (DES) in percutaneous coronary interventions significantly reduce rates of restenosis and the need for new revascularizations compared with bare metal stents. However, as the use of DES has increased dramatically, questions have been raised about their long-term safety. Concerns about an increased risk of late stent thrombosis, particularly beyond the first year of treatment, have arisen and have been exacerbated by sparse and conflicting information, and boosted an intense debate between cardiologists. In this article, we reviewed the most recent information to clarify the conundrum of late stent thrombosis and the long-term safety of DES.