Ennis & Ennis is dedicated to helping victims of defective and recalled traditional stents as well as the newer drug eluting stents throughout the country. If you or a loved one have been injured as a result of stent malfunction you may be entitled to compensation. For more information about your legal rights or to find out the latest recall information or for a free legal consultation contact our stent injury attorneys today.

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12/06/2007 - Johnson & Johnson has launched an expensive new direct-to-consumer TV campaign to tell folks about the benefits of their drug-eluting stent, the Cypher stent. According to a report in the New York Times, Dr. David E. Kandzari, the Chief Medical Officer at Cordis (a J&J company) explains: “We think we have a good safety story to tell, and we want to encourage heart patients to talk about it with their doctors."

The NYT goes on to say: "Not surprisingly, the campaign has stirred criticism among doctors who oppose direct-to-consumer advertising of drugs and devices, and especially among doctors who contend that stents are being implanted too often in patients who might do better with other treatments. 'It’s deplorable,' said Dr. William E. Boden, a professor of medicine at the State University of New York at Buffalo. 'You’ve got to wonder whether it’s a sign of desperation.'”

DrRich is not one of those inherently opposed to direct-to-consumer advertising. While it would be far, far better for patients to get information on drugs, devices, and all other therapeutic options from their own doctors, all too often they can't. Unfortunately, we are living in an era of covert healthcare rationing, in which doctors are coerced into withholding from their patients certain therapies - or more often, information about certain therapies. Simply consider that primary care doctors (the gatekeepers for cardiology referrals, most cardiologists being more than delighted to stent anyone who crosses their threshold) are forcibly limited to 7.5 minutes per patient visit these days; and what's more, through the magic of Pay for Performance initiatives, the government and the insurance companies now get to script for the primary care doctors exactly what must take place during those 7.5 minutes.

But patients need to get information about their medical options from somewhere. And while there are far better places (such as, for instance, this website) for patients to get such information than from cheesy stent ads sandwiched in between beer commercials, DrRich must admit that many, many more people will see J&J's ad during a Dallas Cowboys game than will ever visit his humble web address.

Therefore, DrRich agrees with both Dr. Kandzari and Dr. Boden. Such ads are deplorable, but probably necessary.

So, as fans of the Dallas Cowboys dutifully down a Bud Light, swallow a Cialis, and discuss with their doctors the advisability of a drug-eluting stent, DrRich has some advice. While the effectiveness of the safety record of drug-eluting stents seems quite good, just as the TV ad promises, there's something they're not telling you.

The real problem today with drug-eluting stents is that, because of the small but real risk of late thrombosis (clotting), which often leads to an acute heart attack or death, most doctors are placing patients who receive these stents on long-term Plavix.

Plavix, a powerful blood thinner, utterly precludes having surgery of almost any type. So: when a patient with a drug-eluting stent and who is on Plavix therapy needs surgery - say, for instance, a breast biopsy - she is often stuck between a surgeon who refuses to operate on a patient taking Plavix, and a cardiologist who refuses to allow the patient to stop Plavix long enough to have the surgery.

When you broach the topic of drug-eluting stents with your doctor as the TV ad says you should, or more likely, when the cardiologist to whom you are referred insists that a drug-eluting stent is the only way to go, make absolutely sure you get a straight answer to the Plavix question: How long will you need to be on it, and what happens if you need gallbladder surgery in 6 months? Unless you get that straight answer, consider waiting for a second opinion from another doctor who has more carefully thought out the consequences of his/her recommendations. Or, wait for a more enlightening TV ad.

If you or a loved one have been injured during surgical placement of a stent or have been injured as a result of an implanted drug eluting stent (drug coated stent) such as the Boston Scientific Taxus stent or the Johnson & Johnson Cypher stent you may be entitled to compensation. To learn more about the stent recalls, for information regarding your legal rights, or the possiblilty of a class action lawsuit contact our stent lawyers for a free, confidential, case evaluation today. Fill out our online case evaluation form or call us toll free at 1-800-856-6405.