Will blocking the platelet save the diabetic?

Diabetic patients with atherosclerotic heart disease are more likely to develop complications, whether treated medically, surgically, or with interventional techniques. Among the risks diabetics face is an apparent increase in restenosis after coronary stenting. This issue is addressed in this issue of Circulation by Marso et al.1 They suggest that although use of the IIb/IIIa antibody fragment abciximab will not solve the restenosis problem for patients undergoing balloon angioplasty or for patients without diabetes mellitus undergoing stenting, its use does in fact reduce the indices of restenosis in diabetic patients undergoing stenting. This finding, if corroborated, will have a significant impact on the medical care of diabetic patients.