Patients with diabetes are at higher risk of stent complications

Patients with diabetes are at higher risk of stent complications

Patients with diabetes are at increased risk of complications after stent implantation, according to a study from the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden published inDiabetes care. The study, which includes over 160,000 patients, highlights the importance of tailored treatment strategies for this specific patient group.

Researchers conducted a comprehensive study to examine the risk of stent complications in patients with diabetes. The study consists of data from over 160,000 patients who received drug-eluting stents (small tubes in the coronary arteries that slowly release drugs to reduce the risk of the vessel becoming blocked again) between 2010 and 2020. The patients were divided into three groups: type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and patients without diabetes.

The results show that patients with type 1 diabetes have more than twice the risk of stent complications compared to patients without diabetes. The risk is also increased in patients with type 2 diabetes, but not as much. Complications include both narrowing of the artery in the stent and blood clots in the stent.

Our results show that people with diabetes, particularly type 1 diabetes, are at much higher risk of stent complications. That’s why it’s important to carefully consider how we treat these patients.”

Irene Santos-Pardo, first author, researcher, Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet

The study also shows that the risk of stent complications is highest in the first few months after stent implantation. In the first month, the incidence of stent complications was 9.27 per 100 person-years in patients with type 1 diabetes, compared to 4.34 in patients without diabetes. After six months, the risk decreased but remained higher in patients with diabetes.

"We need to continue to investigate how we can improve the treatment of patients with diabetes undergoing stent implantation. Our results show that treatment and follow-up care for them needs to be adapted," says last author Thomas Nyström, Professor at the Department of Clinical Science and Education, Södersjukhuset, Karolinska Institutet.

The study is a collaboration between researchers at Karolinska Institutet and the Germans Trias i Pujol Institute in Barcelona. It was funded by the Swedish Heart-Lung Foundation and the Stockholm Region, among others.

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