Does a coronary stent make sense for stable angina?

Tiny mesh tubes called stents, used to prop open heart arteries, can relieve stable angina (chest pain with exertion or emotional stress) in many people with coronary artery disease. But this treatment—which carries a risk of complications and a high cost—should be reserved only for people who don’t get relief from drug therapy. Stents do not prevent future heart attacks or improve survival compared with drug therapy. Angina usually results from arteries that are more than 70% blocked, but most heart attacks occur in arteries that are narrowed by only about 40% or less but harbor plaque that ruptures without warning. The resulting blood clot blocks blood flow, triggering a heart attack.