A new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine looked at the number of heart attacks following both coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) and the placement of drug coated stents.

The article on the study is here.

The study found that people were more likely to suffer a follow up heart attack following stent placement than with the more invasive surgical option.  The bypass of two or three coronary arteries offered a 30% or 20% better incidence of recurrence of myocardial infarction when compared to the placement of drug coated stents.

While there still may be some candidates with a better risk profile for stent placement, most patients may do better with the more invasive surgical option.