Analysis following carotid stenting in Medicare patients revealed a notably high mortality rate, which draws into question if the procedure may be shortening the lifespan of elderly patients. The study was conducted by researchers from the Duke Clinical Research Institute and published in JAMA Neurology. Building on smaller studies, wide-scale Medicare data was observed and quantified. Overall, higher mortality rates were found throughout all categories. Nearly one-third of subjects over the age of 80 did not survive a two-year period, but due to the advanced ages and financial status of the patients this was ruled to be inconclusive. “However, we should be open to other possibilities. Perhaps the process of stenting a large vessel triggers the release of various factors (inflammatory, proliferative, and toxic) that initiates a cascade of processes that leads to higher rates of cardiovascular disease events, including death.” Researchers declared the need to study broader categories of patients, citing their findings as too narrow and subjective to be accurate. To learn more about this study, click here.