Multiple overlapping drug-eluting stents have increasingly been used to treat diffuse coronary disease, but the safety and efficacy of this approach remains unclear. We assayed the clinical and angiographic outcomes after placement of "full metal jacket" stents (stented length >or=60 mm) in 347 consecutive patients (352 lesions) with very long de novo coronary lesions. Mean age was 61.0 +/- 10....

OBJECTIVES The aim of this research was to assess the efficacy of paclitaxel-eluting stents in chronic total coronary occlusions (CTO). BACKGROUND Percutaneous coronary interventions for CTOs are characterized by a high target vessel failure rate. METHODS In 48 consecutive patients, paclitaxel-eluting stents (Taxus, Boston Scientific Corp., Natick, Massachusetts) were implanted after succes...

The article published in this edition of the Journal, ‘‘Outcomes of drug-eluting stents compared to bare-metal stents in ST-segment elevation acute myocardial infarction’’ by Brito et al., is based on a registry of primary angioplasty between 2003 and 2007 in a high-volume Portuguese center. The aim of the study was to compare the clinical outcomes of patients presenting with ST-segment elevati...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to examine the 5-year clinical safety and efficacy outcomes in patients enrolled in the SIRIUS (Sirolimus-Eluting Stent in De-Novo Native Coronary Lesions) trial. BACKGROUND The SIRIUS trial was a double-blinded randomized study that demonstrated that sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) significantly improved angiographic results (at 8 months) and clinical outc...

Drug-eluting stents (DESs) represent the most important advance in interventional cardiology in the last 15 years.1 These devices have altered the outcomes of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) by drastically reducing the recurrence of angina and the need for repeat revascularization procedures.2 Despite the limitations that are still present with this type of stent ...

Understanding the mechanisms of coronary drug-eluting stent (DES) failure remains relevant in light of concerns brought on by clinical reports of life-threatening late and very late stent thrombosis and by autopsy studies showing delayed and incomplete healing inside the stents, which may be related to underlying necrotic lipid core.1 Frequency-domain optical coherence tomography, also known as...

BACKGROUND Coronary bifurcation lesions pose therapeutic problems during percutaneous coronary interventions. The aim of this study was to analyze the strategy of coronary bifurcation treatment and associated angiographic as well as clinical outcomes in a large hospital in Northern Poland. METHODS Between January 2012 and January 2014 patients with stable coronary artery disease or non-ST-ele...

Background—Sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) have recently been proven to reduce restenosis and reintervention compared with bare stents. Safety and effectiveness of SES in acute myocardial infarction remain unknown. Methods and Results—Since April 16, 2002, a policy of routine SES implantation has been instituted in our hospital, with no clinical or anatomic restrictions, as part of the RESEARCH ...

BACKGROUND Sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) have recently been proven to reduce restenosis and reintervention compared with bare stents. Safety and effectiveness of SES in acute myocardial infarction remain unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS Since April 16, 2002, a policy of routine SES implantation has been instituted in our hospital, with no clinical or anatomic restrictions, as part of the RESEARC...