A new medical study out recently shows that Medtronic‘s new drug-coated stent was associated with more heart attacks and blood clots than a rival stent made by Johnson & Johnson.
Results from the cardiology study named Sort Out III, which included more than 2,000 patients, showed that heart patients who received the Medtronic device, called Endeavor, had more heart attacks and blood clots and needed repeat procedures more often than those treated with the J&J stent, known as Cypher.
Drug-coated stents are tiny wire mesh tubular devices that are implanted in diseased vessels to prop them open. The drug coating is designed to keep vessels from reclogging.
Medical Analysis: The study was analyzing patients 9 months out from the procedure. This is a short term study and the jury is still out.