A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has shown that the use of carotid artery stenting to open severely blocked carotid arteries is as effective in protecting people from heart attack, stroke and death as surgery. The research was based on the three-year data from the Stenting and Angioplasty with Protection in Patients at High Risk for Endarterectomy (SAPPHIRE) study of Johnson & Johnson’s Precise nitinol stent and Angioguard guidewire.