BACKGROUND Stent implantation into the tracheo-bronchial system may be life-saving in selected pediatric patients with otherwise intractable stenosis of the upper airways. Following implantation, significant tissue proliferation may occur, requiring re-interventions. We sought to evaluate the effect of immunosuppressive coating of the stents on the extent of tissue proliferation in an animal mo...

2015 Since the introduction of plain old balloon angioplasty, there have been several improvements in the treatment of coronary artery disease, with the advent of bare metal stents and drug-eluting stents being two notable milestones. Although these stents confer better acute gains in coronary interventions, the risk of instent restenosis (ISR) remains, especially with bare metal stents. Hence,...

BACKGROUND Although both sirolimus (CYPHER) and paclitaxel (TAXUS) drug-eluting stents have demonstrated efficacy and safety in clinical trials, human autopsy data have raised concerns about long-term healing and the potential for local inflammatory reactions. METHODS AND RESULTS Overlapping stents (CYPHER drug-eluting stents, Bx SONIC bare metal stents, TAXUS drug-eluting stents, and Liberté...

INTRODUCTION Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, with approximately 610,000 deaths every year [1]. Heart disease is often related to atherosclerosis, or plaque buildup in the artery walls. This buildup hardens and narrows the arteries, thereby obstructing blood flow and increasing risk for heart attack, stroke, or peripheral vascular disease. The common treatment f...

Rationale: Sirolimus-eluting coronary stents (SESs) and paclitaxel-eluting coronary stents (PESs) are used to reduce restenosis but have different sites of action. The molecular targets of sirolimus overlap with those of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) agonist rosiglitazone (RSG) but the consequence of this interaction on endothelialization is unknown. Objective: Using the...

CONTEXT Bare-metal stenting with abciximab pretreatment is currently considered a reasonable reperfusion strategy for acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Sirolimus-eluting stents significantly reduce the need for target-vessel revascularization (TVR) vs bare-metal stents but substantially increase procedural costs. At current European list prices, the use of tirofiban inst...

BACKGROUND The long-term effectiveness of drug-eluting stents (DES) in unselected diabetics in routine practice is currently unclear. METHODS AND RESULTS To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of bare metal stents and DES in a real-world setting of diabetic patients, we analyzed 2-year follow-up data from all diabetic patients with de novo lesions enrolled in a prospective Web-based multicen...

Background—The long-term effectiveness of drug-eluting stents (DES) in unselected diabetics in routine practice is currently unclear. Methods and Results—To evaluate the long-term effectiveness of bare metal stents and DES in a real-world setting of diabetic patients, we analyzed 2-year follow-up data from all diabetic patients with de novo lesions enrolled in a prospective Web-based multicente...

BACKGROUND Re-endothelialization is delayed after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation. In this setting, neointima is more prone to become lipid laden and develop neoatherosclerosis (NA), potentially increasing plaque vulnerability. METHODS AND RESULTS Optical coherence tomography and near-infrared spectroscopy with intravascular ultrasound were used to characterize NA in 65 (51 DES and 14 b...

Bare metal stents have a proven safety record, but limited long-term efficacy due to in-stent restenosis. First-generation drug-eluting stents successfully countered the restenosis rate, but were hampered by concerns about their long-term safety. Second generation drug-eluting stents have combined the low restenosis rate of the first generation with improved long-term safety. We review the evol...