Mortality rates for patients with multiple blocked arteries are lower if they undergo coronary artery bypass surgery, rather than opting for multiple stents, according to a large-scale study published in this week’s New England Journal of Medicine. The study showed that for patients with two clogged arteries, the death rate over the next 18 months among those who had coronary bypass surgery was close to 30% lower than among those opting for the insertion of drug-eluting stents.

Over the last few years, angioplasty has become significantly more popular than bypass.