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What kind of stent should I ask for?
A friend just suffered a heart attack. The doctors have found that one of his arteries has a 90% blockage, and want to open it up with balloon angioplasty, and put in a stent. They offer a choice -- a generic $350 Made-in-China stent, and a $1,700 American-made stent. We don't know what to ask for. Can anyone tell me if the American-made model is superior and makes a difference? Thanks
I find this debate quite amusing. Why on earth would a country in Europe or indeed the USA offer a patient a stent which would kill them? China assembles Apples products, so how many people are walking around with Ipads or Iphones? Yes there is a big market in China which mass produces inferior quality products, but stents is NOT one of them.
No, you CANNOT rest assured that any Chinese medical product is the equivelant product manufactured in Europe or the U.S. Quality control in China is irregular, and the literature is full of reports of deaths due to this lack of quality control.
going with the chinese stent would be idiotic unless it is a verified 3rd generation des stent and even then the best is the xience as has been proven conclusively in the raw data of of the dapt trial released in nov 2014. don't tell people what they should do unless you are certain of what you're talking about.
The basic idea of DES stents is indeed quite old. However in the last 15 years hundreds of patents have been filed on improvements of the basic idea, mainly by US companies. Many of these patents are still in force. No doubt that many of the ideas have found their way in products (stents) of those innovative companies.
A stent is much more than just a simple piece of mesh but in fact a technological marvel. That chinese stents perform well does not neccessarily mean that US stents can not outperform them. Compare it with a cheap and expensive car. Both cars can bring you to your destination but the expensive one gets you there much comfortably.
Differences between stents of different companies are not so easy to detect but still can have functional differences. I assure you that those US companies are testing the chinese stents for those detils to see if they are not infringing on their patents.
A stent is much more than just a simple piece of mesh but in fact a technological marvel. That chinese stents perform well does not neccessarily mean that US stents can not outperform them. Compare it with a cheap and expensive car. Both cars can bring you to your destination but the expensive one gets you there much comfortably.
Differences between stents of different companies are not so easy to detect but still can have functional differences. I assure you that those US companies are testing the chinese stents for those detils to see if they are not infringing on their patents.
As I'm sure you must know, DES stents are well beyond patent now. All they've done for years is apply different coatings to the stents, at different thicknesses but all to the same avail. Many stents simply fail. I have no idea why anyone would believe a stent from China is less superior to an american one? Don't your health departments check such things before buying them? I know the UK does.
This is new to me, Ed. I assume the stents hold shape for a period of time and the coating resists restenosis, then degrade once the artery is stretched open, so to speak? Do you have a research study you can share? Interesting. That said, I hate to buy Chinese products due to their environmental damage.
All new ideas are nowadays protected by patents. Generic stents are offered, once the patents on how to make them have expired (20 years). When you are offered a generic stent, it means that the stent is based on older technology.
As technology in the stent area is progressing very fast, I doubt that the generic stent is of a quality comparable to the most recent developed stents
As technology in the stent area is progressing very fast, I doubt that the generic stent is of a quality comparable to the most recent developed stents
I would go for the chinese version, much cheaper and likely far superior. You can rest assured they have the latest chemicals on them and are high quality. The problem is, China is well known as the cheap imitation country of the world, but with stents this is different. China has just completed the first trial using biodegradable stents.
If I had the money, I would not take the risk of getting a lower quality stent. Perhaps the chinese stent is just as good, but if not the consequences could be very big.
While the designs may be comparable American-made models are produced under far more rigid quality control standards.
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