Heart attack patients may get safer treatment with lower drug dose and new stents

This study tested two things in over 3,400 people who had a heart attack and needed a stent: whether newer stents that dissolve over time work as well as permanent ones, and whether a lower dose of the blood thinner prasugrel is as safe and effective as the standard dose. The goal was to find a treatment that controls heart disease with fewer side effects like bleeding. Participants received either a permanent or dissolving stent and either a standard or reduced prasugrel dose, then were followed for major heart events.