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Thousands of heart patients could be treated without having a metal stent permanently implanted in their arteries—according to research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). A major analysis of more than 7,800 patients found that a newer treatment using drug-coated balloons performed just as well as conventional stents at preventing heart attacks and cardiovascular deaths.

These balloons are removed after treatment, and the findings suggest this approach could offer a safe alternative to permanent stents.

But the team warned that some patients treated with drug-coated balloons may be more likely to need a repeat procedure in the future.

Researchers reviewed data from 10 randomized clinical trials involving 7,832 patients with coronary artery disease, where narrowed arteries can reduce blood flow to the heart and increase the risk of serious cardiac events.

Lead researcher Dr. Natasha Corballis, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said, "Drug-releasing stents are tiny mesh tubes inserted into blocked arteries. They are currently the standard treatment for many patients undergoing a common operation to open blocked heart arteries, known as angioplasty.

"But drug-coated balloons offer an alternative approach. Unlike a stent, which remains in the artery permanently, the drug-coated balloon is removed after treatment. As it is inflated, it releases medicine into the artery wall to help prevent the vessel becoming narrowed again."

"Our work shows that there is no meaningful difference between these two treatments when it came to the most serious outcomes.

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