Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 4 complete abstracts (900 words), 10 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
Stents that are covered with materials that are embedded with chemicals that are gradually released into the surrounding milieu.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Drug Eluting Stents; Drug-Eluting Stent; Drug Eluting Stent; Stent, Drug-Eluting; Stents, Drug-Eluting; Stents, Drug Eluting; Drug-Coated Stents; Drug Coated Stents.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Stents
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 14,948 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Drug-Eluting Stents” (counts retrieved 2026-11-04). 3,499 of them (23.4%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 9,534 records.
Reviews account for 2,234 records (14.9%) and meta-analyses for 796. Randomized controlled trials number 1,781 (11.9%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up a comparatively large share of this literature, which means many treatment questions have been tested directly.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 0 |
| 2000-2009 | 2,185 |
| 2010-2019 | 9,534 |
| 2020 onward | 3,499 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 2,234 | 14.9% |
| Meta-analyses | 796 | 5.3% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 1,781 | 11.9% |
Method: PubMed query "Drug-Eluting Stents"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-11-04.
Reading the evidence in diagnostics and medical technology
A test or device is judged by how well it detects a condition, how often it gives false alarms or misses cases, and whether using it improves outcomes for people. Accuracy depends on who is tested and how common the condition is, so a test that performs well in a specialist hospital can perform differently in the community. Check the reference standard, the population studied, the sensitivity and specificity and whether results were confirmed in a separate group.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
A drug-free cardiovascular stent functionalized with tailored collagen supports in-situ healing of vascular tissues [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Drug-eluting stent implantation suppresses the excessive proliferation of smooth muscle cells to reduce in-stent restenosis.
- Closing excerpt
- Collectively, the one-produces-multi drug-free system represents a promising strategy for the next-generation of stents.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (143 words)
Drug-eluting stent implantation suppresses the excessive proliferation of smooth muscle cells to reduce in-stent restenosis. However, the efficacy of drug-eluting stents remains limited due to delayed reendothelialization, impaired intimal remodeling, and potentially increased late restenosis. Here, we show that a drug-free coating formulation functionalized with tailored recombinant humanized type III collagen exerts one-produces-multi effects in response to injured tissue following stent implantation. We demonstrate that the one-produces-multi coating possesses anticoagulation, anti-inflammatory, and intimal hyperplasia suppression properties. We perform transcriptome analysis to indicate that the drug-free coating favors the endothelialization process and induces the conversion of smooth muscle cells to a contractile phenotype. We find that compared to drug-eluting stents, our drug-free stent reduces in-stent restenosis in rabbit and porcine models and improves vascular neointimal healing in a rabbit model. Collectively, the one-produces-multi drug-free system represents a promising strategy for the next-generation of stents.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 38272886 · DOI · PMC10810808
Optical coherence tomography predictors of clinical outcomes after stent implantation: the ILUMIEN IV trial [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Background and aimsObservational registries have suggested that optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging-derived parameters may predict adverse events after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation.
- Closing excerpt
- 89, P ConclusionsIn the ILUMIEN IV trial, the most important OCT-derived post-DES predictors of both safety and effectiveness outcomes were parameters related to stent area, expansion and flow, proximal edge dissection, and stent length.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (220 words)
Background and aimsObservational registries have suggested that optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging-derived parameters may predict adverse events after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. The present analysis sought to determine the OCT predictors of clinical outcomes from the large-scale ILUMIEN IV trial.MethodsILUMIEN IV was a prospective, single-blind trial of 2487 patients with diabetes or high-risk lesions randomized to OCT-guided versus angiography-guided DES implantation. All patients underwent final OCT imaging (blinded in the angiography-guided arm). From more than 20 candidates, the independent OCT predictors of 2-year target lesion failure (TLF; the primary endpoint), cardiac death or target-vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI), ischaemia-driven target lesion revascularization (ID-TLR), and stent thrombosis were analysed by multivariable Cox proportional hazard regression in single treated lesions.ResultsA total of 2128 patients had a single treated lesion with core laboratory-analysed final OCT. The 2-year Kaplan-Meier rates of TLF, cardiac death or TV-MI, ID-TLR, and stent thrombosis were 6.3% (n = 130), 3.3% (n = 68), 4.3% (n = 87), and 0.9% (n = 18), respectively. The independent predictors of 2-year TLF were a smaller minimal stent area (per 1 mm2 increase: hazard ratio 0.76, 95% confidence interval 0.68-0.89, P ConclusionsIn the ILUMIEN IV trial, the most important OCT-derived post-DES predictors of both safety and effectiveness outcomes were parameters related to stent area, expansion and flow, proximal edge dissection, and stent length.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 39196989 · DOI · PMC11560276
Plain versus drug balloon and stenting in severe ischaemia of the leg (BASIL-3): open label, three arm, randomised, multicentre, phase 3 trial [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- ObjectiveTo determine which primary endovascular revascularisation strategy represents the most clinically effective treatment for patients with chronic limb threatening ischaemia who require endovascular femoro-popliteal, with or without infra-popliteal, revascularisation.
- Closing excerpt
- Trial registrationISRCTN registry ISRCTN14469736.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (273 words)
ObjectiveTo determine which primary endovascular revascularisation strategy represents the most clinically effective treatment for patients with chronic limb threatening ischaemia who require endovascular femoro-popliteal, with or without infra-popliteal, revascularisation.DesignThree arm, open label, pragmatic, multicentre, randomised, phase 3 superiority trial (BASIL-3).Setting35 UK NHS vascular units.ParticipantsPatients with chronic limb threatening ischaemia who required endovascular femoro-popliteal, with or without infra-popliteal, revascularisation.InterventionsParticipants were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to femoro-popliteal plain balloon angioplasty with or without bare metal stenting (PBA±BMS), drug coated balloon angioplasty with or without bare metal stenting (DCBA±BMS), or drug eluting stenting (DES) as their first revascularisation strategy.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was amputation free survival defined as time to first major amputation or death from any cause. Secondary outcomes included the composite components of the primary outcome, major adverse limb events, major adverse cardiac events, and other prespecified clinical and patient reported outcome measures. Serious adverse events were collected up to 30 days after the first revascularisation procedure.ResultsBetween 29 January 2016 and 31 August 2021, 481 participants were randomised (167 (35%) women, mean age 71.8 years (standard deviation 10.8)). Major amputation or death occurred in 106 of 160 (66%) participants in the PBA±BMS group, 97 of 161 (60%) in the DCBA±BMS group, and 93 of 159 (58%) in the DES group (adjusted hazard ratios: PBA±BMS v DCBA±BMS: 0.84, 97.5% confidence interval 0.61 to 1.16, P=0.22; PBA±BMS v DES: 0.83, 0.60 to 1.15, P=0.20). No differences in serious adverse events were reported between the groups.ConclusionsNeither DCBA±BMS nor DES conferred significant clinical benefit over PBA±BMS in the femoro-popliteal segment in patients with chronic limb threatening ischaemia undergoing endovascular femoro-popliteal, with or without infra-popliteal, revascularisation.Trial registrationISRCTN registry ISRCTN14469736.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 39993822 · DOI · PMC11848676
Predictive value of remnant cholesterol for in-stent restenosis after drug-eluting stent implantation [4]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- In-stent restenosis (ISR) remains a major obstacle in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with coronary heart disease.
- Closing excerpt
- This study suggests that RC could be a potential risk factor and predictive marker for the development of ISR after DES implantation.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (264 words)
In-stent restenosis (ISR) remains a major obstacle in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with coronary heart disease. Although previous studies suggest that remnant cholesterol (RC) may play a significant role in ISR, the exact relationship remains underexplored. This study aims to investigate the predictive value of RC levels for the risk of ISR following PCI and drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. A retrospective study was conducted on 548 CHD patients who underwent PCI at the First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, between January 2018 and December 2023. The primary outcome was the presence of ISR, defined as ≥50% in-segment diameter stenosis. Patients were divided into 2 groups: ISR (n = 56) and non-ISR (n = 492). The ISR group exhibited significantly higher RC levels compared to the non-ISR group (P = .004). Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that RC (odds ratio [OR] = 2.873, 95% CI: 1.121-7.364, P = .028), diabetes (OR = 2.656, 95% CI: 1.474-4.786, P = .001), and alcohol consumption (OR = 2.988, 95%CI: 1.082-8.251, P = .035) were independent predictors of ISR. The predictive logistic model combining RC with 6 clinically relevant factors (age, gender, smoking status, alcohol consumption, hypertension, and diabetes) for ISR showed a higher area under the curve of 0.721 (95% CI: 0.654-0.789), compared to the model with only RC, which had an area under the curve of 0.618 (95% CI: 0.547-0.690). Increased RC levels were significantly associated with ISR in CHD patients following PCI. This study suggests that RC could be a potential risk factor and predictive marker for the development of ISR after DES implantation.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 42566594 · DOI · PMC13456804
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Risk of Death Following Application of Paclitaxel-Coated Balloons and Stents in the Femoropopliteal Artery of the Leg: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials [5]
- Research article Duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stent implantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials [6]
- Research article Intravascular imaging-guided coronary drug-eluting stent implantation: an updated network meta-analysis [7]
- Research article Percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents versus coronary artery bypass grafting in left main coronary artery disease: an individual patient data meta-analysis [8]
- Research article Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Drug-Eluting Stents: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis [9]
- Research article Intravascular ultrasound-guided implantation of drug-eluting stents to improve outcome: a meta-analysis [10]
References
- Wu H, Yang L, Luo R, Li L, Zheng T, Huang K, et al.. A drug-free cardiovascular stent functionalized with tailored collagen supports in-situ healing of vascular tissues. . 2024. PMID 38272886 · DOI · PMC10810808
- Landmesser U, Ali ZA, Maehara A, Matsumura M, Shlofmitz RA, Guagliumi G, et al.. Optical coherence tomography predictors of clinical outcomes after stent implantation: the ILUMIEN IV trial. . 2024. PMID 39196989 · DOI · PMC11560276
- Bradbury AW, Hall JA, Popplewell MA, Meecham L, Bate GR, Kelly L, et al.. Plain versus drug balloon and stenting in severe ischaemia of the leg (BASIL-3): open label, three arm, randomised, multicentre, phase 3 trial. . 2025. PMID 39993822 · DOI · PMC11848676
- Yimamu A, Yang H, Feng W, Wufuli Z, Tuersun T. Predictive value of remnant cholesterol for in-stent restenosis after drug-eluting stent implantation. . 2026. PMID 42566594 · DOI · PMC13456804
- Katsanos K, Spiliopoulos S, Kitrou P, Krokidis M, Karnabatidis D. Risk of Death Following Application of Paclitaxel-Coated Balloons and Stents in the Femoropopliteal Artery of the Leg: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. J Am Heart Assoc. 2018. PMID 30561254 · DOI · PMC6405619
- Giustino G, Baber U, Sartori S, Mehran R, Mastoris I, Kini AS, et al.. Duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stent implantation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2015. PMID 25681754 · DOI
- Stone GW, Christiansen EH, Ali ZA, Andreasen LN, Maehara A, Ahmad Y, et al.. Intravascular imaging-guided coronary drug-eluting stent implantation: an updated network meta-analysis. Lancet. 2024. PMID 38401549 · DOI
- Sabatine MS, Bergmark BA, Murphy SA, O'Gara PT, Smith PK, Serruys PW, et al.. Percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stents versus coronary artery bypass grafting in left main coronary artery disease: an individual patient data meta-analysis. Lancet. 2021. PMID 34793745 · DOI
- Khan SU, Singh M, Valavoor S, Khan MU, Lone AN, Khan MZ, et al.. Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and Drug-Eluting Stents: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis. Circulation. 2020. PMID 32795096 · DOI · PMC7547897
- Jang JS, Song YJ, Kang W, Jin HY, Seo JS, Yang TH, et al.. Intravascular ultrasound-guided implantation of drug-eluting stents to improve outcome: a meta-analysis. JACC Cardiovasc Interv. 2014. PMID 24529934 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.