Drug-eluting stents: dual antiplatelet therapy for every survivor?

No recent pharmaceutical or medical device has generated as much ongoing and expanding attention as drug-eluting stents (DES). In fact there has been an explosion of published reports on the topic within cardiology, medical, surgical and subspecialty journals. The device industry has repeatedly sent their own summaries of information directly to physicians, while mainstream media has kept the consumer and Wall Street appraised of safety concerns, often with sensational headlines. The Food and Drug Administration has also taken notice by convening a meeting on DES in late 2006. What have we learned through all this dissemination of data?