Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents and the Continuous Need for Rapidly Available Real-World Data

Drug-eluting stents (DES), by markedly reducing the need for repeat target vessel revascularization (TVR) compared with bare-metal stents (BMS), have been so rapidly and widely employed that use continues to far outpace data regarding indications and outcomes. After the initial success of first-generation DES (Cypher [Cordis Corporation, Bridgewater, NewJersey] sirolirnus-eluting stent [SES] and Taxus [Boston Scientific, Natick, Massachusetts] paclitaxel-cluting stent [PES]), many questions ernerged regarding their long-term safety and effectiveness, particularly for off-label indications. So, too, questions continued whether PES and SES provide comparable in-class outcomes. Before