Contrary to a previous meta-analysis that prompted global concern, paclitaxel drug-eluting devices (DEDs) in peripheral vessels are not associated with increased long-term mortality, researchers say.

Using a German health insurance database of 9.2 million patients, researchers retrieved data on people undergoing their first endovascular revascularisation of the lower limbs using a balloon or stent (drug-eluting or not) between 2007 and 2015 and followed them until the end of 2017.

Patients had a mean age of about 73, and about 45% were women. All patients were naive to paclitaxel-coated peripheral devices.

Each subsequently-applied drug-eluting stent, drug-coated balloon, bare-metal stent and uncoated balloon was included in the analyses. The cumulative number of applied DEDs served as an estimate for patients’ paclitaxel exposure.