Sinai Hospital of Baltimore researchers have found that the type of coronary artery stent placed in a patient may make a difference in the prevention of blood clots. Results of the study will be presented at the 51st Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in Atlanta March 17-20.
Statistics show that the development of blood clots in a patient after stenting is a problem that affects up to four percent of the population. This complication can prove fatal in some cases and doctors in the past have relied on blood-thinning and anti-platelet drugs to help prevent the problem.
Lead researcher Paul Gurbel, MD, FACC, director, Sinai Center for Thrombosis Research, Sinai Hospital of Baltimore, says the findings of the study are important because it shows, for the first time, that the type of stent used in the angioplasty procedure may help alleviate the problem of blood clotting within the stent.
"There are two main types of stents that doctors use when treating patients," said Gurbel. "For the first time, we have been able to determine that closed-cell stents, those with a more closely woven mesh, work better in reducing the level of platelet activation than the alternative open-cell stent."
The study points to the fact that more loosely woven open-cell stents have ripples on their walls and researchers found these ripples caused stimulation of the platelets, thickening the blood. These stimulated platelets can lead to clotting within the stent.
Researchers conclude that a closed cell-stent is the best choice for doctors when treating patients with a coronary artery blockage because it is less likely to stimulate blood clots.
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