FRIDLEY (dpa-AFX) - Medtronic, Inc. (MDT) said its Resolute drug-eluting stent, or DES, yielded strong performance in coronary artery disease, or CAD, patients both with and without diabetes through two years of follow-up.
Research shows that people with diabetes have a two- to three-fold increased risk for CAD and two- to four-fold higher CAD morbidity and mortality rates. Historically it's been difficult to treat CAD patients with diabetes because they tend to have smaller coronary arteries and persistently elevated blood-sugar levels, which can increase the rate of procedural complications and long-term safety risks. Hence, CAD patients with diabetes have commonly undergone open heart surgery, which is more invasive and requires longer hospital stays and recovery time compared with stent procedures.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX
© 2012 AFX News
