Drug-eluting stents revolutionised interventional cardiology owing to their pronounced ability to reduce restenosis compared with bare-metal stents. Attention has now shifted to safety of these devices because of evidence suggesting an association with late stent thrombosis. In a review, Anthony Bavry and Deepak Bhatt assess current evidence from randomised trials, and propose guidelines for the appropriate use of drug-eluting stents in clinical practice. Deepak Bhatt discusses the history of stents and assesses our current knowledge and considers treatment options for cardiologists and patients in this week's podcast.