CLEVELAND--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The U.S. launch of drug-eluting stents (DES) in early 2003 produced an immediate and fairly dramatic decline in coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgeries performed, as patients with less diffuse disease were overwhelmingly referred for interventional management. The impact on product markets was equally dramatic, and concerns regarding the future of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and beating-heart products emerged.
