Authors' objectives:

To provide guidance on the use of coronary artery stents in the treatment of ischemic heart disease.

Authors' recommendations: Guidance 1.1 For patients with either stable or unstable angina, or acute myocardial infarction (MI) and where percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the clinically appropriate procedure, stents should be used routinely. 1.2 Where it is considered clinically appropriate to undertake either PCI or coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), the availability of stents should push the balance of clinical decision-making towards PCI. 1.3 Arteries with a diameter less than 2.5mm and greater than 3.5 mm should only normally be stented in the setting of a so called bail out procedure (i.e. when acute closure of the vessel occurs following PCI), or if there has been a sub-optimal result following ballooning alone or as part of properly conducted trials. These criteria do not apply to saphenous vein grafts (SVG). The Institute is aware that new evidence on stenting in arteries with a diameter less than 2.5 mm is likely to become available soon. If necessary, this guidance will be amended to take account of the fully reported results. 1.4 This guidance specifically relates to the present clinical indications for PCI and excludes conditions (such as many cases of stable angina) which are currently adequately managed with standard drug therapy.

Authors' methods: Systematic review

Project Status: Completed

URL for project: http://www.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=TA004

Year Published: 2000

English language abstract: An English language summary is available

Publication Type: Not Assigned

Country: England, United Kingdom

Organisation Name: National Institute for Clinical Excellence

Contact Address: MidCity Place, 71 High Holborn, London WC1V 6NA, UK. Tel: +44 020 7067 5800; Fax: +44 020 7067 5801

Contact Name: nice@nice.nhs.uk

Contact Email: nice@nice.nhs.uk

Copyright: National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)