Summary

The period of doubt concerning the safety of drug-eluting stents (DES) began in 2004 with the publication of the first report of late stent thrombosis [McFadden et al. Lancet 2004]. Despite what appeared to be conflicting reports from the SCAAR and GRACE registry studies, it is apparent that much progress has been made in understanding late stent thrombosis. This article reviews the results of several recently published meta-analyses that have evaluated the safety of DES vs bare-metal stents.