The role of stents in cardiology: Advantages and complications

The history of the clinical use of coronary stents began in 1987 when Sigwart et al. reported the first human implants. Several major problems have plagued this technique from the start, including the occurrence of acute and subacute stent thrombosis on the one hand and bleeding complications due to aggressive anticoagulation on the other. Despite these difficulties, the development of additional types of stents and effective new antithrombotic drug regimens have advanced the use of stents considerably. This article introduces the varied experiences of different workers on the subject, in effect presenting an overview of the recent trends on the technique.