Drug coated balloons are a promising alternative to drug-eluting stents for the treatment of coronary lesions, demonstrating similar or improved outcomes in various clinical scenarios including diabetic patients.
This review summarizes recent evidence supporting drug-coated balloons for in-stent restenosis and small vessel disease, highlighting their potential for broader use in complex coronary lesions.
Effect estimate: HR 1.991 (95% CI 1.077 to 3.681)
Absolute Event Rate: 8% vs 7.3%
p-value: p=0.025
The role of drug coated balloons (DCB) for the treatment of in stent restenosis have been acknowledged by International Guidelines and robust data demonstrated their good performance for small vessels disease as well. Important trials have now also reported encouraging long-term results in this scenario and it is fair to assume that in the proximal future, this strategy might become the gold standard for small vessels disease as well. With new evidence to support their feasibility in other complex lesions, such as bifurcations or diffuse coronary disease, large randomized clinical trials are awaited to investigate their safety and efficacy, as these devices could improve long-term outcomes, especially in current era frail patients. The aim of the current paper is to review the most recent data regarding the use of DCB, including the midand long-term follow-up reports on the safety and efficacy of this novel strategy.
Florin-Leontin et al. (2022) conducted a review in coronary artery disease. drug coated balloons vs. drug-eluting stents was evaluated on major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (HR 1.991, 95% CI 1.077 to 3.681, p=0.025). Drug coated balloons are a promising alternative to drug-eluting stents for the treatment of coronary lesions, demonstrating similar or improved outcomes in various clinical scenarios including diabetic patients.