Heart Health

Sirolimus and paclitaxel drug-coated balloons perform similarly in coronary arteries

Coronary artery disease is the world's leading killer, and doctors increasingly use drug-coated balloons instead of stents to reopen narrowed arteries without leaving metal behind. This review pooled eight randomized trials with 1,043 patients comparing balloons coated with sirolimus against those coated with paclitaxel, the long-established standard. For most measures, including artery re-narrowing, repeat procedures, heart attacks, and death, the two performed about the same. Paclitaxel balloons looked slightly better on two measures: late lumen enlargement and, in a sensitivity analysis, re-narrowing in new (de novo) lesions. These signals were fragile and came from small trials. Both balloon types appear safe, but longer and larger studies are needed.