Sirolimus- versus paclitaxel-eluting stents: numero uno, first among equals or equal?

Drug-eluting stents (DESs) have shown the ability to reduce restenosis and major adverse cardiac events in de novo lesions when compared with bare metal stents in randomized studies. Enthused by the results of these trials, DESs are being used in other difficult lesion subsets, such as bifurcation lesions, in-stent restenosis, vein graft lesions and chronic total occlusions. They are also being used in difficult patient subsets, such as diabetes and acute myocardial infarction. Not all DES are equal, however, and research is now focused on understanding the differences between these stents. This review discusses the DESs that are US FDA-approved and currently available in the USA, namely Cypher (Cordis Corporation) and Taxus (Boston Scientific), and whether they are comparable.