Drug-coated balloons could offer an alternative to permanent heart stents for some patients
· Medical Xpressedited by Sadie Harley, reviewed by Robert Egan
Sadie Harley
Scientific Editor
Meet our editorial team
Behind our editorial process
Robert Egan
Senior Editor
Meet our editorial team
Behind our editorial process Editors' notes
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
fact-checked
peer-reviewed publication
trusted source
proofread
The GIST Add to Preferred Sources
Thousands of heart patients could be treated without having a metal stent permanently implanted in their arteries—according to research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). A major analysis of more than 7,800 patients found that a newer treatment using drug-coated balloons performed just as well as conventional stents at preventing heart attacks and cardiovascular deaths.
These balloons are removed after treatment, and the findings suggest this approach could offer a safe alternative to permanent stents.
But the team warned that some patients treated with drug-coated balloons may be more likely to need a repeat procedure in the future.
The findings are published in eClinicalMedicine.
Comparable outcomes without permanent implants
Researchers reviewed data from 10 randomized clinical trials involving 7,832 patients with coronary artery disease, where narrowed arteries can reduce blood flow to the heart and increase the risk of serious cardiac events.
Lead researcher Dr. Natasha Corballis, from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said, "Drug-releasing stents are tiny mesh tubes inserted into blocked arteries. They are currently the standard treatment for many patients undergoing a common operation to open blocked heart arteries, known as angioplasty.
"But drug-coated balloons offer an alternative approach. Unlike a stent, which remains in the artery permanently, the drug-coated balloon is removed after treatment. As it is inflated, it releases medicine into the artery wall to help prevent the vessel becoming narrowed again."
"Our work shows that there is no meaningful difference between these two treatments when it came to the most serious outcomes.
"Patients treated with drug-coated balloons were no more likely to die from cardiovascular causes than those receiving stents. Rates of heart attack were also virtually identical between the two groups."
The findings remained unchanged even when researchers excluded studies focusing only on small coronary arteries, where drug-coated balloons already have an established evidence base.
Repeat procedures in larger arteries
But the study also revealed a potential drawback.
Corballis said, "When we looked at larger arteries, patients treated with drug-coated balloons were more likely to require a repeat procedure to reopen the artery—a measure known as revascularization."
Even so, the researchers urged caution over that result, noting there was considerable variation between studies and that the finding appeared heavily influenced by a single clinical trial.
Longer trials to test broader use
The findings add to growing interest in the so-called "leave nothing behind" strategy, which aims to restore blood flow without implanting a permanent device inside the artery.
Senior author Vassilios Vassiliou, also from UEA's Norwich Medical School, said, "This approach could reduce some longer-term complications associated with stents, while preserving future treatment options if patients develop further disease."
The researchers concluded that larger clinical trials with longer follow-up periods are needed to determine whether drug-coated balloon treatment is equally effective in larger vessels and more complicated coronary lesions.
This research was led by UEA in collaboration with the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Publication details
Drug coated balloons versus drug eluting stents for de novo coronary artery disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis of Randomised Controlled Trials, EClinicalMedicine (2026).
Journal information: EClinicalMedicine
Key medical concepts
revascularizationMyocardial infarction
Clinical categories
Cardiology Provided by University of East Anglia Who's behind this story?
Sadie Harley
BSc Life Sciences & Ecology. Microbiology lab background with pharmaceutical news experience in oil, gas, and renewable industries. Full profile →
Robert Egan
Bachelor's in mathematical biology, Master's in creative writing. Well-traveled with unique perspectives on science and language. Full profile →
Citation: Drug-coated balloons could offer an alternative to permanent heart stents for some patients (2026, October 15) retrieved 15 October 2026 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-10-drug-coated-balloons-alternative-permanent.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.