Wake up call for Dutch cardiologists.

Drug-eluting stents have been available in the Netherlands since April 2002. Despite the revolutionary randomised data demonstrating their low rate of restenosis compared with conventional bare stents, their market penetration rate is estimated at only between 15 and 25%. The reasons are twofold - a perception that only high-risk groups benefit and that these new stents are more expensive. This article seeks to show that both high- and low-risk subgroups of patients requiring intervention benefit, and that these stents are cost-effective, both on an individual and on a societal level. It also puts forward a strong case for the immediate recognition of this new device by the insurance companies to allow Dutch patients to benefit from this remarkable technology.