In the last 7 or 8 years newer metal stents coated with medication to prevent scar tissue formation have become widely available. Much research has been done to try to prevent this scar tissue formation. Heart Attack Risk and Medicated Stents Heart Disease (Coronary Artery Disease) Slideshow Is There Increased Risk of a Heart Attack with the New Medicated Stents. A major concern with use of stents is that the stainless steel they are composed of may promote the formation of blood clots, which may occlude the stent and. These stents have reduced the recurrence ("restenosis") rate of coronary artery disease to well under 10%. Eleonora Nevil Stoppler, MD Metal stents, devices placed into an artery to keep the vessel open, have been used in lieu of balloon angioplasty to treat patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) for about 15 years, due to their better long term patency. Brose Kulick, MD, FACC, FSCAI.

Nonetheless, with conventional ("bare metal") stents , there may be a disease recurrence rate of at least 20%-30% due to scar tissue formation within the stent.