This is the largest and newest study to compare drug eluting stents with durable polymers vs. biodegradable or bioresorbable polymers. As is usually the case, the theory clashes with reality. The study has shown that the polymer does not seem to play an important role in the performance of drug eluting stents, or at least…
ISAR-TEST-5: 10 años de los DES con polímero vs sin polímero
After 10 years, unstable or chronic coronary patients revascularized with drug-eluting stents (DES) had similar, very good outcomes regardless of whether the DES did or did not have a polymer, according to the ISAR-TEST-5 study, recently published in J Am Coll Cardiol. The 10-year device-oriented endpoints occurred in 43.8% of patients treated with a polymer-free sirolimus-eluting…
BIOFLOW V: Ultrathin Struts Confirm their Benefits
For several years we have been testing new devices that have introduce changes with respect to their predecessors in the hope they will bring clinical benefits. And so, the different generations of drug eluting stents came about (DES) even though we found ourselves stuck in the second generation, with the classical everolimus eluting stents. All…
Onyx ONE: More Options for Patients at High Risk for Bleeding
Since November 2015, when the LEADERS FREE was published in NEJM, polymer-free drug coated stents had undoubtedly been the best treatment for patients at high risk of bleeding. The benefit was owed to the safety and efficacy of the polymer-free biolimus coated stent (also called umirolimus) vs. bare metal stents in the context of just…
TCT 2019 | MODEL U-SES: More Devices for High Risk of Bleeding and Short DAPT
Courtesy of SBHCI. This study tested the safety of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after only three months of bioresorbable polymer sirolimus DES implantation (Ultimaster). Secondary end point was following with P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy after the first 3 months compared with aspirin. It included 1695 patients treated with sirolimus eluting Ultimaster receiving 3-month DAPT. After the…
TCT 2019 | EVOLVE Short DAPT: Only 3-month DATP in High Risk Bleeding
Courtesy of the SBHCI. This study used the thin strut everolimus eluting stent with ultrathin abluminal bioresorbable polymer coating chromium platinum stent, basically the Synergy stent. Drug release and polymer degradation within four months facilitate endothelization and would allow a shorter DAPT. Presented during the scientific sessions of TCT 2019, this study included 2009 high…
TCT 2019 | IDEAL-LM: Bioabsorbable Polymer DES vs. Permanent Polymer DES for Left Main Stenosis
Courtesy of SBHCI. This study showed that using the everolimus eluting stent with bioabsorbable polymer Synergy followed by 4 months of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) to treat left main stenosis (LMS) was safe and effective, compared against using the everolimus eluting stent with permanent polymer Xience followed by the conventional 12 months DAPT. This study…
TCT 2019 | Onyx ONE: Durable Polymer vs. Polymer-Free Stent with Only One Month of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy
Courtesy of the SBHCI. This is the first randomized study comparing a durable-polymer drug-eluting stent (zotarolimus-eluting stent Onyx) and a polymer-free drug-eluting stent (biolimus-A9-coated stent BioFreedom), with only one month of dual antiplatelet therapy in patients at high risk for bleeding. Onyx ONE was a study conducted at 84 sites that randomized 1:1 2000 total patients at…
Do Polymers Play any Role in Drug Eluting Stents
The fact that polymers can degrade after drug release seems interesting, more so when there appears to be evidence that they might cause inflammation (manly eosinophil infiltration) given its unwanted consequences. However, nice theories often get a reality check, and the polymer discussion is no exception. This article, soon to be published in J Am…
Thin, Very Thin, and Ultrathin Struts, with Permanent or Biodegradable Polymer… Which Is the Best Combination?
Results from the BIO-RESORT trial at three years, soon to be published in JACC Intv., show that, despite significant differences among stents as regards strut thickness and capability to reabsorb the polymer, there are no apparent safety or efficacy differences among devices. The aim of this study was to determine the three-year safety and efficacy…
Theoretical Advantages Translated into Worst Clinical Outcomes: Synergy vs. Xience
New data from a real-world registry soon to be published in J Am Coll Cardiol Intv suggest that Synergy (a thin-strut everolimus-eluting stent with a biodegradable polymer) is associated with a higher risk of acute stent thrombosis when compared with classic Xience (a thicker-strut everolimus-eluting stent with a durable polymer). At 12 months, there was…