Is There a Safety Concern for Drug-Coated Balloons in Peripheral Arterial Disease?

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Drug-coated balloons (DEB) and drug-eluting stents (DES) emerged as a tool to aid in lowering the rates of neointimal hyperplasia and target lesion restenosis following endovascular peripheral arterial disease (PAD) interventions. RECENT FINDINGS: Although the initial trials comparing these devices with non-drug balloons and stents showed favorable results, more recent data raised concerns regarding the mid to long-term safety of these devices. In this review, we will discuss the evolution of endovascular therapy for PAD, with highlights regarding the recent debates on the long-term safety of the drug-coated devices for treatment of PAD.