The next generation of drug-eluting stents: What's on the horizon?

Drug-eluting stents have radically changed the way we treat coronary artery disease. They offer lower restenotic rates compared with the bare metal stents and this enables more challenging and complex lesions to be treated. However, there are still limitations as restenosis has not been completely abolished and there are concerns about stent thrombosis. The next generation stents offer the technology to address these pertinent issues. This review examines the new analogs of the sirolimus family and their use in novel stent platforms, including the use of biodegradable and bioabsorbable materials employed in both stents and on the polymer. 'Reservoir stents' that are specially designed to contain layers of drugs in pockets with different release profiles are discussed and an insight into the emerging field of bioengineered stents is highlighted.