Thrombosis with bioresorbable scaffolds: the story of DES all over again?

Original title: Percutaneous coronary intervention with everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffolds in routine clinical practice: early and midterm outcomes from the European multicentre GHOST-EU registry. Reference: Capodanno D et al. EuroIntervention. 2014 Jul 18. Epub ahead of print

 

The GHOST-EU registry, that included 1189 patients from 10 European centers between 2011 and 2014, is now the largest registry on Absorb everolimus-eluting bioresorbable scaffolds (Abbott Vascular; Santa Clara, CA).

One third of patients (34.8%) had multiple vessels disease and more than half of patients (51%) presented complex lesions. All patients received aspirin in addition to clopidogrel, prasugrel or ticagrelor for 6 to 12 months after procedure.

The number of bioresorbable scaffolds employed per patient was 1.73, and 18.4% required an additional conventional or drug eluting stent. Globally, technical success was 99.7%.

Primary end point, a combination of cardiac death, target vessel infarction or ischemia driven target lesion revascularization was 4.4% at 6 months. The only independent events predictor was diabetes (HR 2.41; IC 95% 1.28 to 4.53).

23 definite/probable thrombosis were observed, which represents 1.5% at 30 days and 2.1% at 6 months. Most cases (70%) occurred within 30 days, at a median of 5 days post procedure. 87% of patients presenting scaffold thrombosis were under a double antiagregation therapy at the time of the event.

Conclusion

The everolimus eluting bioresorbable scaffold showed acceptable outcomes at 6 months in a challenging “real world” population, even though thrombosis rate was not negligible, especially within the first 30 days after procedure.

Editorial Comment

Given the complexity of the treated lesions, many of the patients included in this study would not have met the ABSORB II and III inclusion criteria, which shows this registry reflects “real world” outcomes.

Thrombosis rate is higher than expected and exceeds reported data for second generation DES. The fact that most thrombosis were concentrated within the first days suggests the need to carefully select lesions, polish implantation techniques and systematically monitor patients after implantation with some kind of imaging (IVUS or OCT). A randomized long term study against the best DES is required to answer whether the greater risk of initial thrombosis can be counter balanced by a benefit after scaffold disappears.

SOLACI.ORG

More articles by this author

ACC 2026 | DKCRUSH VIII: IVUS or angiography to guide PCI in complex coronary bifurcations

Intracoronary imaging guidance has become an established recommended strategy in complex coronary lesions. In the specific setting of complex bifurcations, uncertainty remained regarding the...

ACC 2026 | OPTIMAL: IVUS Guidance in PCI of the Unprotected Left Main Coronary Artery

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is considered an equivalent alternative to coronary artery bypass surgery in patients with left main coronary artery (LMCA) stenosis and...

ACC 2026 | IVUS-CHIP Trial: Intravascular ultrasound–guided versus angiography-guided complex PCI

Optimization of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in complex lesions remains a relevant clinical challenge. In this context, the IVUS-CHIP trial was designed to evaluate...

ACC 2026 | ALL-RISE Trial: Coronary Physiological Assessment Using FFRangio

Coronary physiological assessment using pressure-wire techniques (FFR/iFR) carries a Class IA recommendation in ACC/AHA guidelines; however, its use remains limited due to factors such...

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

Related Articles

SOLACI Sessionsspot_img

Recent Articles

Management of Valve Thrombosis in TAVI: Current Evidence-Based Approach

The expansion of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) into younger and lower-risk populations has brought bioprosthetic valve thrombosis to the forefront as a clinically...

Experience with the intra-annular self-expanding Navitor valve: data from the STS/ACC TVT registry

The expansion of TAVI, with the introduction of new-generation devices, has prioritized not only periprocedural safety, but also the preservation of coronary access, more...

Therapeutic strategies in carotid free-floating thrombus: evidence and controversies

Carotid free-floating thrombus (cFFT) is a rare entity with a high embolic risk, associated with acute neurological events such as stroke or transient ischemic...