(April 22, 2008 - Insidermedicine) Stents that release everolimus, commonly known as Certican, help keep the blood vessels that feed the heart open and functioning better than stents that release paclitaxel, known as Taxol, according to the results of a major trial published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Here is some information about stents and drug-releasing stents for cardiac care:

•    When one or more of the blood vessels that feed the heart become partially or completely blocked, one possible treatment is angioplasty, in which a balloon-tipped catheter is fed into the blocked vessel. The balloon is then inflated, pushing open the blockage.

•    To prevent newly opened vessels from closing up again, sometimes a small metal tube called a stent is placed where the blockage used to be, to help hold the vessel open.

•    To prevent blockages from developing at the ends of and near the stent, some stents are designed to slowly release drugs that suppress inflammation or buildup of cells.

As part of the SPIRIT III trial, researchers out of Columbia University Medical Center and the Cardiovascular Research Foundation in New York randomly assigned over 1,000 patients with coronary artery disease to be implanted with a stent that releases Certican, a drug that suppresses the immune system, or Taxol, a drug that suppresses cell division.

After eight months, imaging studies conducted in just under half of the patients revealed that the vessels being held open by stents eluting Certican remained open better than those containing stents that released Taxol. The Certican-releasing stents were also at least as effective as the Taxol-releasing stents for preventing the blood vessel from failing altogether within nine months of implantation. In addition, compared with the Taxol-releasing stents, the Certican-releasing stents significantly reduced the likelihood of patients having a heart attack, dying from a heart-related cause, or requiring another angioplasty within a year of implantation.

Today’s research demonstrates that a new type of drug-releasing stent – one that releases Certican – may be more beneficial for patients than the ones commonly used today that release Taxol.

For Insidermedicine in Depth, I'm Dr. Susan Sharma.