Abbott Vascular extended its post-approval study of the Xience V (PDF) drug-eluting stent, making as many as 2,000 patients in the trial eligible for another study of dual anti-platelet therapy.

The Abbott Park, Ill.-based devices giant said the expansion of the study examining its everolimus-eluting coronary stent opens up the Dual Anti-Platelet Therapy (PDF) trial to more than 2,000 potential subjects.

The DADT study is a joint effort between medical device and pharmaceutical companies to examine the optimum duration for patients to take blood thinners after receiving a stent.

Expanding the Xience V trial also allows for an extra 3,000 patients to enroll; the study was originally designed to examine 5,000 patients for signs of stent thrombosis.