AIMS This prospective, randomized study sought to directly compare the performance of paclitaxel and rapamycin on an otherwise identical, polymer-coated drug-eluting stent (DES) platform. METHODS AND RESULTS Stents with identical design and biodegradable polymeric coating that elute either rapamycin or paclitaxel over a 2 months time period were utilized. In this pilot trial that included 91 ...

BACKGROUND The drug-eluting stents have decreased the incidence of instent restenosis compared to bare metal stents. But, the incidence of late and very late stent thrombosis has increased with the drug-eluting stents. CASE PRESENTATION We are here, reporting three cases of incredibly late instent thrombosis, each one occurring after more than 50 months of drug-eluting stent placement. CONC...

Two cases of drug-eluting stent restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention in the left main coronary artery and its bifurcation are presented. An off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting following in-stent restenosis was performed. Drug-eluting stents have shown a reduced frequency of in-stent restenosis and a good safety profile compared with bare metal stents. However, intervention w...

BACKGROUND Third-generation biodegradable polymer drug-eluting stents might reduce the risk of stent thrombosis compared with first-generation permanent polymer drug-eluting stents. We aimed to further investigate the effects of a biodegradable polymer biolimus-eluting stent compared with a durable polymer-coated sirolimus-eluting stent in a population-based setting. METHODS This randomised, ...

In percutaneous coronary interventions, drug-eluting stents (DESs) have reduced the risk of restenosis and repeat revascularization compared with bare-metal stents. The secondgeneration DESs with thinner stent struts have improved safety and efficacy compared with the first-generation DESs and has been associated with a reduced risk of late stent thrombosis. The persistence of polymer material ...

CONTEXT In patients with de novo coronary lesions, drug-eluting stents have drastically reduced restenosis risk compared with bare metal stents and conventional balloon angioplasty. It is less clear whether drug-eluting stents are superior to conventional balloon angioplasty for the treatment of patients with in-stent restenosis. OBJECTIVES To assess if drug-eluting stents are a more effectiv...

Despite the favorable impact of drug eluting stents on stent restenosis, their long-term reliability is considered worrisome by some because of stent thrombosis. Often attributed to adverse reactions to the stent platform, both the drugs and polymer characteristics have been further advanced with current technologies. The present review discussed current drug eluting stents and new developments.

BACKGROUND Recent data have suggested that patients with coronary disease in large arteries are at increased risk for late cardiac events after percutaneous intervention with first-generation drug-eluting stents, as compared with bare-metal stents. We sought to confirm this observation and to assess whether this increase in risk was also seen with second-generation drug-eluting stents. METHOD...

In-stent restenosis is the major drawback of percutaneous coronary interventions, occurring in 10-40% of the patients. Recently, new stents have emerged which are loaded with anti-inflammatory, anti-migratory, anti-proliferative or pro-healing drugs. These drugs are supposed to inhibit inflammation and neointimal growth and subsequently in-stent restenosis. In this review article the results of...

Ann Saudi Med 28(2) March-April 2008 www.kfshrc.edu.sa/annals 114 Drug-eluting stents have attracted considerable attention since their commercial approval more than 5 years ago when they were considered by some as one of the most important breakthroughs in the history of cardiovascular medicine. Different drug-eluting stents, with different drugs, different polymers, and different elution kine...