Polymer persistence in 1st and 2nd generation DES meant to allow drug release has been associated with a chronic inflammatory response that might be associated to restenosis, neo atherosclerosis and stent thrombosis. This is the rationale behind the development of polymer free and bioresorbable polymer-based DES. They have both been compared against permanent polymer DES,...
TCT 2018 | LEADERS FREE II: Polymer-Free DES in Patients at High Risk for Bleeding with 1 Month of Antiplatelet Therapy
This study was aimed at gaining device registration from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a polymer-free biolimus A9 drug-coated stent (BioFreedom, Biosensors). The study had two purposes: on the one hand, it meant to reproduce the results of the LEADERS FREE trial (published in 2015) in terms of safety and efficacy with...
OCT Provides Hints About the Physiopathology Behind Very Late Stent Thrombosis
Neoatherosclerosis was frequently observed in patients who experienced very late stent thrombosis, particularly those with drug-eluting stents. In-stent plaque rupture was the most common cause of thrombosis and it usually occurred in cases in which the original procedure had been carried out while the patient was undergoing an acute myocardial infarction. Macrophage infiltration can be...
Left Main PCI: Despite Auspicious Long-Term Outcomes, Optimal Strategy Still under Discussion
Left main coronary artery bifurcation interventions have shown very good results at long term, especially with new generation DES. The one-stent strategy has seen better results than the two-stent strategy, according to this registry recently published in J Am Coll Cardiol Intv. However, how does this registry of the daily practice between the years 2002 and...
New Ultra-Thin-Strut DES: Do They Outperform Second-Generation DES?
The new drug-eluting stents (DES) equipped with ultra-thin struts are showing a lower risk of target lesion failure as a result of lower rates of acute myocardial infarction and similar rates of revascularization, according to this meta-analysis soon to be published in Circulation. Such a difference is evidenced at a 1-year follow-up when compared with...
EuroPCR 2018 | 2nd and 3rd-Generation DES for Bifurcation Lesions: Nothing New Under the Sun
This study aimed to assess the outcome of Culotte stenting with newer-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) in Medina 1, 1, 1 bifurcation lesions. The 2nd-generation device used was permanent-polymer everolimus-eluting stent Xience, a device for which there is comparatively plenty of evidence available. Alternatively, the 3rd-generation stent used was thin-strut abluminal bioresorbable-polymer everolimus-eluting stent SYNERGY. Patients with...
EuroPCR 2018 | DESSOLV III: Bioabsorbable vs. Durable Polymer at 2 Years
Most drug-eluting stents are coated by a polymer that is used to contain the antiproliferative drug. Once the drug is released, the polymer remains in place and its presence has been associated with inflammation, restenosis, and neoatherosclerosis. The MiStent device features a polymer that becomes bioabsorbable once the drug has been released, which could, theoretically,...
EuroPCR 2018 | Swedish Registry on the SYNERGY DES: tested in primary PCI for the first time
The study included 36292 consecutive patients undergoing acute myocardial infarction receiving PCI with the new generation stent SYNERGY (thin struts, bioresorbable polymer and everolimus eluting); 39.7% presented ST elevation MI. Kaplan-Meier curves at 2 years of patients receiving the SYNERGY vs patients receiving other drug eluting stents resulted very similar for thrombosis (0,69% vs 0,81%,...
EuroPCR 2018 | BIO-RESORT: Polymer vs. Bioresorbable Polymer; Have We Reached a Plateau with DES?
This study randomized 3514 patients to a thin-strut biodegradable polymer everolimus-eluting stent (SYNERGY) vs. a sirolimus-eluting stent (ORSIRO) vs. a durable polymer zotarolimus-eluting stent (RESOLUTE INTEGRITY). The combined endpoint, the rate of target vessel failure, was similar for all three devices (8.3% for the zotarolimos-eluting stent, 6.8% for the everolimus-eluting stent, and 6.6% for the sirolimus-eluting...
The new HTA guides 2017 could be up to their predecessors
From the first reports, back in 1920, we have studied, recognized and documented the excess of events associated with arterial hypertension. This linear relationship between the level of blood pressure and the risk of stroke, is evident in all adults beyond age, sex or race, transforming high blood pressure into the highest target of global...