In much of the world (but not in the U.S.,) drug-coated stents are avoided by cardiologists because of their high cost. To compensate for the inability to use these stents, many cardiologists outside of the U.S. have taken to administering sirolimus (also
Two Swiss meta-analyses have found an increased rate of myocardial infarction and death with the Cypher (sirolimus-eluting) coronary stent, which is likely to put a serious chill in interventional cardiology's infatuation with drug-coated devices
Evaluation of Cypher Sirolimus Eluting Stent in Patients Undergoing Elective Revascularization of Nonacute Total Coronary Occlusions (TCO). Cordis Corp. Columbia Presbyterian, NYC. 2006-2011. (Not currently recruiting)