Choice of drug-eluting stent—evidence-based or empirical

Percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was developed as a nonsurgical alternative to coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). Its limitations led to the introduction of stents. The introduction of baremetal stents (EMS) virtually eliminated the acute complications of PTCA. Drug-eluting stents (DES) were developed to combat the neo-intimal hyperplasia; and a marked reduction in restenosis rate and target lesion revascularization (TLR) was obtained with their use as compared to BMS.