Sirolimus-eluting cobalt-chromium stents: two-year clinical results

Background Drug-eluting stents （DES） have been shown to significantly reduce clinical events and angiographic restenosis in the treatment of coronary artery disease （CAD）. This study was conducted to assess the long-term efficacy and safety of the polymer-based sirolimus-eluting cobalt-chromium Firebird 2TM stents in the treatment of patients with CAD. Methods This first-in-man study using the Firebird 2TM stent is a prospective, historically-controlled multicenter clinical study, which enrolled 67 patients with CAD who were treated with the sirolimus-eluting cobalt-chromium stent （Firebird 2TM, Microport Shanghai, Firebird 2 group）, compared to another 49 patients treated with a bare cobalt alloy stent （Driver, Medtronic, control group）. Continued 2-year clinical follow-up was performed after getting the initial 6-month angiographic and 1-year clinical follow-up. The incidence of major adverse cardiac events （MACE） including cardiac death, reinfarction and target lesion revascularization （TLR） and stent thrombosis were compared between the two groups. Results All patients in the Firebird 2 group （100.0%） and 48 patients in the control group （98.0%） completed the 2-year clinical follow-up. At the 1-year follow-up the use of the Firebird 2 stent was highly effective, resulting in a significant 94% decrease of TLR （26.5% in the control group and 1.5% in the Firebird 2 group, P〈0.0001）. A significant difference in TLR was maintained at 2-year follow-up, Firebird 2 group 1.5% and the control group 31.3% （P〈0.0001）. Between 1- and 2-year post-stenting, no more TLR occurred in the Firebird 2 group compared with two cases in the control group （P〉0.05）. There was a 1.5% incidence of MACE at 1- and 2-year follow-up in the Firebird 2 group, compared with 26.5% and 33.3% in the control group, respectively （all P〈0.0001）. The cumulative 1- and 2-year MACE free survival rates were 98.5% in the Firebird 2 group vs 73.5% and 66.7% in the control group （log rank P〈0.000     

Efficacy and safety of Firebird sirolimus-eluting stent in treatment of complex coronary lesions in Chinese patients: one-year clinical and eight-month angiographic outcomes from the FIREMAN registry

Background  Off-label application of drug-eluting stents (DES) during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was not uncommon in daily practice, however DES in treating Chinese patients with complex lesion subset was under-investigated. The primary objective of the FIREMAN registry was to evaluate the long term efficacy and safety of the Firebird sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) in treating patients with complex coronary lesions. Here we report the mid-term of one-year clinical outcomes and eight-month angiographic follow-up results of FIREMAN registry. 

Methods  The FIREMAN registry was a prospective multi-center registry, which included 1029 consecutive patients undergoing PCI with Firebird SES implantation between September 2006 and July 2007 in 45 centers in China. The clinical follow-up was designed to be performed at 1, 6, 12, 18, 24, 30 and 36 months post index procedure, and non-mandatory angiographic follow-up at 8 months was planned. One hundred percent site monitoring was conducted.

Results  Long lesions (59.2%), multi-vessel disease (50.4%), and small vessel disease (31.6%) were mostly found in angiography. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) occurred in 51 (5.1%) patients at 1 year clinical follow-up, including cardiac mortality in 6 (0.6%), non-fatal myocardial infarction in 11 (1.1%), and target lesion revascularization in 36 (3.5%) of the patients. Definite and probable stent thrombosis (ST) by Academic Research Consortium (ARC) definition occurred in 12 (1.36%) patients at one-year clinical follow-up. The 8-month binary restenosis rate was 5.7% in-segment and 4.3% in-stent, respectively. Late lumen loss was (0.21±0.40) mm in-segment and (0.23±0.36) mm in-stent, respectively. Furthermore, Cox regression analysis revealed that diabetes, small vessel diameter, and chronic total occlusion were independent predictors of ST.

Conclusions  The results showed that the Firebird SES was effective and safe in treating Chinese patients with complex coronary lesions and occurrence of ST rate at one-year clinical follow-up was acceptable, however further long-term follow-up was still necessary. (NCT00552656)

     

Gender difference on five-year outcomes of EXCEL biodegradable polymer-coated sirolimus-eluting stents implantation: results from the CREATE study

Background The gender difference on long-term outcome in unselected patients after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has not yet been fully investigated.This study aimed to evaluate the gender d...     

Comparison of long-term clinical outcome after successful implantation of Firebird sirolimus- and Taxus paclitaxel-eluting stents in Chinese population: analysis of a large single center registry

Background Recent studies have shown that drug eluting stent （DES） implantation improved clinical outcome concerning efficacy compared with bare-metal stent （BMS） implantation, and sirolimus-eluting stent （SES） seemed superior to paclitaxel-eluting stent （PES） in improving the outcomes. Firebird SES is the most widely used SES in China. Long-term comparison of safety and efficacy between Firebird SES and Taxus PES in Chinese popuation is still not available. The aim of this research was to compare the safety and efficacy at 24 months after the successful implantation of Firebird SES and TAXUS PES in Chinese population.Methods From April 2004 to October 2006, 3110 consecutive patients who underwent successful DES （Firebird SES 2274; Taxus PES 836） implantation were prospectively enrolled into this study. All enrolled patients were divided into two groups based on stent type. By outpatient clinic visit and telephone interview, we obtained 24-month clinical outcome including death, myocardial infarction （Ml）, thrombosis, target lesion revascularization （TLR）, target vessel revascularization （TVR）, and major adverse cardiac events （MACE, the composite of death, Ml, and TVR）. We used Cox＇s proportional-hazards models to assess relative risks of all the outcome measures before and after propensity match. Results Unadjusted clinical outcomes indicated that the patients treated with Firebird SES were associated with lower risk of TLR （HR0.38, 95%CI 0.26-0.54）, TVR （HR 0.51,95%CI 0.38-0.68） and MACE （HR 0.53, 95%CI 0.41-0.68）. The results after propensity match were consistent with that before matching, lower risk of TLR （HR 0.33, 95%CI 0.19-0.58）, TVR （HR 0.41, 95%CI 0.26-0.64）, MACE （HR 0.48, 95%CI 0.33-0.68） in Firebird group.Conclusion Compared with Taxus PES, the use of domestic Firebird SES may decrease the risk of TLR, TVR and MACE in daily practice.     

Firebird sirolimus eluting stent versus bare mental stent in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Background There are few evidences about the value of drug eluting stent in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction （STEMI）. We prospectively designed a randomized controlled trial to compare the safety and efficacy of Firebird sirolimus eluting stent （Firebird stent） and bare metal stent （BMS）. Methods Patients with STEMI enrolled during one year period were randomized to undergo implantation of Firebird stent or BMS, and clinical and angiographic follow-up. The primary endpoint of the present study was in-lesion late lumen loss （LLL） at 6 months, and secondary endpoint includes stent thrombosis and major adverse cardiac events （MACE） at 6 months. Results During one year period, 156 patients were randomized into the Firebird stent group （101 patients with an average age of 57.8 years） or the BMS group （55 patients with 59.7 years on average）. Six-month angiographic follow-up was available in 66.3% and 63.7% of patients assigned to Firebird stent and BMS, respectively. At 6-month follow-up, mortality, target vessel revascularization （TVR） and MACE were 2.0%, 6.9% and 9.9% in the Firebird stent group, while 3.6%, 30.9% and 36.4% in the BMS group （P〈0.05）. Subacute thrombosis occurred in 1 patient in both groups, respectively. The mean LLL was 0.18 mm in the Firebird stent group versus 0.72 mm in the BMS group. Conclusion Implantation of Firebird sirolimus eluting stent for STEMI may greatly reduce TVR and MACE at 6 months with low incidence of acute/subacute stent thrombosis compared with BMS.     

Long term efficacy and safety of Chinese made sirolimus eluting stents: results, including off label usage, from two centres over three years

Background Multiple randomized clinical trials have demonstrated that drug eluting stents can significantly reduce the rates of restenosis and subsequent adverse events across lesion and patient. We investigated the medium term clinical efficacy and safety of Firebird sirolimus eluting stent （SES） in coronary artery disease. Methods The sample was 509 consecutive patients with coronary artery disease （CAD） who were treated by Firebird SES and finished three-year clinical follow-up. The occurrences of major adverse cardiac events （MACE） and Academic Research Consortium defined stent thrombosis （ST） were evaluated in patients with and without diabetes mellitus. Results Three hundred and thirty three patients （65. 4%） were treated by Firebird SES by off label indications. Angiographic success was achieved in 98.3% of the lesions. MACE and target vessel revascularization rates at 6-month, 1 year＇s and 3 years＇ clinical follow-up were 2.4% and 1.4%, 4.1% and 2.8%, 7.9% and 5.1%, respectively. The cumulative 3-year MACE free survival rate was 92.1%. After 3 years, DM patients had significantly higher rates of MACE （13.7% vs 6.4%, P 〈0.05） and TVR （9.8% vs 4.0%, P 〈0.05） and the cumulative MACE free survival rate was very significantly lower in the DM group （86.4% vs 93;6%, P 〈0.05）. ST occurred in 7 patients （1.4%） at the end of 3 years＇ follow-up, 5 of them had definite ST with 4 cases presenting with myocardial reinfarction and 1 with unstable angina, the other 2 with probable ST had reinfarction in the stented coronary territory without angiographic follow-up. There was no difference in occurrence of ST between off label （1.5%） and on label groups （1.1%, P=-0.07）. Conclusions In daily practice, about 2/3 of patients were treated by Firebird SES by off label indications. Medium term clinical follow-up of 3 years indicated CAD patients treated by Firebird SES had a low MACE and acceptable ST rate. DM patients had higher rates of adverse events and than non DM.     

Sirolimus-eluting cobalt alloyed stents in treating patients with coronary artery disease: six-month angiographic and one-year clinical follow-up result A prospective, historically controlled, multi-center clinical study

Background  The emergence of drug-eluting stents (DES) has dramatically reduced the incidence of in-stent restenosis. This study was conducted to evaluate the safety and efficacy of sirolimus-eluting cobalt-chrome stents (Firebird 2) for treating patients with coronary artery disease.
Methods  Sixty-seven patients with de novo or non-stented restenostic coronary lesions were chosen to receive the Firebird 2 stent as the final treatment (Firebird 2 group). Another 49 consecutive patients were implanted with bare cobalt alloyed stents (Driver, Medtronic) within the previous six months and served as historical controls (control group). Baseline clinical characteristics, angiographic features, procedural results, 30-day, 6-month and 12-month clinical follow-up regarding the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE), as well as the primary endpoint of late lumen loss at 6-month angiographic follow-up were compared between the two groups.
Results  The demographic characteristics were similar between the two groups despite more patients in the Firebird 2 group who underwent previous percutaneous coronary intervention (22.4% vs 8.2%, P=0.0418) and who had diabetes mellitus (29.9% vs 12.2%, P=0.0253). In the Firebird 2 group, the mean diameter of the reference vessel was smaller ((2.79±0.46) mm vs (2.98±0.49) mm, P=0.0175) and more stents were implanted for each lesion (1.28±0.52 vs 1.10±0.30, P=0.0060). Other angiographic, procedural results and the device success rate were similar between the two groups. The MACE rate at 30-day and 3-month was the same, but significantly fewer MACE occurred in the Firebird 2 group at 6- and 12-month follow-up (1.5% vs 12.2% at 6 month, P=0.0168; 1.5% vs 26.5% at 12 month, P<0.0001). The primary endpoint of late lumen loss at 6-month angiographic follow-up was significantly reduced in the Firebird 2 group (in-stent: (0.05±0.09) mm vs (0.98±0.61) mm; in-segment: (0.05±0.18) mm vs (0.72±0.59) mm; P<0.0001) than the control group. One patient in the Firebird 2 group had in-segment restenosis (1.3%) while the rate in the control group (38.1%) was significantly higher, P<0.0001. Intravascular ultrasound examination was performed in 70.1% of patients in the Firebird 2 group and revealed that the percentage of volumetric obstruction was (1.26±1.05) %. No stent thrombosis was observed in either group at 12-month follow-up.
Conclusion  The Firebird 2 sirolimus-eluting cobalt alloyed stent is safe and feasible in treating patients with coronary artery disease.

     

Firebird and Cypher sirolimus-eluting stents and bare metal stents in treatment of very long coronary lesions

Background As a kind of sirolimus-eluting stent （SES） made in China, Firebird SES is more effective than bare metal stent （BMS） and not inferior to Cypher SES for short coronary lesions in terms of reduction of restenosis and revascularization. However, Firebird SES does not show any benefits in patients with a very long coronary lesion （VLCL）. The present study was undertaken to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Firebird SES for VLCL by comparison of Cypher SES and BMS. Methods In this prospective, nonrandomized and comparative study, eligible patients with de novo coronary lesion （≥ 30 mm） between January 2005 and June 2006 were allocated into Firebird SES group, Cypher SES group or BMS group. They were subjected to an angiographic follow-up of 6 months and a clinical follow-up of 12 months. The primary endpoints constitute the in-stent and in-segment restenosis rates at 6 months. The secondary endpoint was defined as a major adverse cardiovascular event （MACE） that was a 12-month combined endpoint of all-cause deaths, reinfarction or in-stent thrombosis, and target-lesion revascularization. The 12-month in-stent thrombosis was also evaluated to address the safety of Firebird SES implantation exceptionally. Results A total of 468 patients were assessed for eligibility. Of 113 patients who were finally included according to the prior inclusion and exclusion criteria, 39 （41 lesions） were treated with Firebird SES, 37 （39 lesions） with Cypher SES, and 37 （37 lesions） with BMS. There were no significant differences in the baseline characteristics between the three groups; but there were longer lesions, more frequent use of overlapping stent in the Firebird SES group and the Cypher SES group. Angiographic follow-up showed that the rates of binary stenosis were similar between the Firebird SES group and the Cypher SES group （in-segment： 14.6% vs 12.8%, relative risk （RR）1.14, P=0.81; in-stent： 9.8% vs 10.3%, RR 0.95, P=0.94）, and significantly lower than those in the B     

Comparison of paclitaxal vs. sirolimus eluting stents with bio-degradable polymer for the treatment of coronary bifurcation lesions: subgroup analysis from DKCRUSH-I and DKCRUSH-II studies

Background  The difference in clinical outcome between paclitaxal-eluting stents (PES) and sirolimus-eluting stents with bio-degradable polymer (SES-BDP) for bifurcation lesions remains unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the one-year clinical outcome after DK crush stenting using PES (Taxus^TM) vs. SES-BDP (Excel^TM) from our database.

Methods  A total of 275 patients (90 from the DKCRUSH-I and 185 from the DKCRUSH-II study) were studied. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 12 months; including cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), or target vessel revascularization (TVR). The rate of binary restenosis and stent thrombosis served as secondary endpoints.

Results  At follow-up, minimal luminal diameter (MLD) in the Taxus group was (2.11±0.66) mm, with resultant increased target lesion revascularization (TLR) 12.2% and TVR 14.4%, significantly different from the Excel group; (2.47±0.56) mm, P <0.001, 3.2%, P=0.006, 4.9%, P=0.019, respectively. As a result there was a significant difference in MACE between the Taxus (20.0%) and Excel (10.3%, P=0.038) groups. Overall stent thrombosis was monitored in 11 patients (4.0%), with five in the Excel group (2.7%) and six in the Taxus group (6.7%). All stent thrombosis in the Excel group was classified as early, and all were defined as late in the Taxus group.

Conclusion  The Excel stent had lower rate of stent thrombosis, TLR, TVR, and composite MACE at 12-month after an indexed stenting procedure, compared to the Taxus stent.

     

Outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention in contemporary Australian practice: insights from a large multicentre registry

OBJECTIVE: To examine short- and medium-term outcomes of percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs), with a focus on comparing drug-eluting stents (DESs) with bare-metal stents (BMSs). DESIGN, SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Retrospective analysis of data from the Melbourne Interventional Group (MIG) registry, a large multicentre Australian registry. The study cohort consisted of 6364 consecutive patients undergoing 7167 PCIs between April 2004 and August 2007. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Clinical events including death, myocardial infarction (MI), target lesion revascularisation (TLR), target vessel revascularisation (TVR) and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (a composite of death, MI and TVR), at 30 days and at 12 months. RESULTS: The cohort was predominantly male (74%), with a mean age of 64.7 years (SD, 12.0 years). DESs were used in 3482 (51.4%) of PCIs. In the overall cohort, rates of clinical events were low at 30 days: mortality (1.9%), MI (2.4%), TLR (2.0%), TVR (2.4%) and MACE (5.7%). At 12 months, event rates were: mortality (5.2%), MI (6.0%), TLR (5.8%), TVR (8.2%) and MACE (16.2%). Patients receiving DESs had similar mortality rates to those receiving BMSs (4.0% v 6.0%; P = 0.62 [propensity score-adjusted]); late thrombosis rates were also similar in the two groups (0.8% v 1.1%; P = 0.38). The proportion of patients receiving DESs fell significantly over time, from 54.9% in the first 24 months to 44.7% in the last 15 months of the study period (P < 0.01). Independent predictors of 12-month mortality included diabetes, renal failure, ST-segment-elevation MI and cardiogenic shock. CONCLUSION: Our clinical event rates were comparable with international registry outcomes. Rates of mortality and stent thrombosis were no higher in patients with DESs than those with BMSs. Although DESs were used in about half the procedures (preferentially for higher-risk lesions), recent trends suggest their use is in decline.     

Incidence of thrombosis after implantation of drug-eluting stents in patients with coronary artery disease

Background Randomized clinical trials have demonstrated equivalent safety to bare-metal stents after drug-eluting stents （DES） implantation. However, the DES thrombosis in randomized trials could not be comparable to those observed in clinical practice, frequently including off-label indications. This study sought to assess the incidence of DES thrombosis after implantation of DES in patients with real world coronary artery disease （CAD） in China.
Methods From December 2001 to April 2007, 8190 consecutive patients received the treatment with DES, 5412 patients completed one year follow-up： 2210 with sirolimus-eluting stent Cypher, 1238 with paclitaxel-eluting stent Taxus and 1964 with Chinese sirolimus-eluting stent Firebird, After two years of follow-up, there were 2176 patients （1245 Cypher, 558 Taxus and 373 Firebird）. All patients were treated with aspirin and clopidogrel over at least 9 months.
Results Among 8190 patients, 17 patients had acute stent thrombosis （0.24%）： 7 in the Cypher group, 4 Taxus and 6 Firebird; 23 patients had subacute stent thrombosis： 8 Cypher, 6 Taxus and 9 Firebird. The incidence of acute and subacute thrombosis was 0.49%： 0.50% Cypher, 0.63% Taxus and 0.41% Firebird. The incidence of late thrombosis at one year followup was 0.63%： 0.63% Cypher, 0.88% Taxus and 0.46% Firebird; at two year follow-up the incidence was 0.74%： 0.72% Cypher, 0.90% Taxus and 0.54% Firebird. There was no significant difference among three groups at 1 year and 2 years follow-up.
Conclusion The first generation DES in the treatment of complex lesions are safe and effective if patients are aggressively treated with dual antiplatelet agents.     

Can “Hybrid stent implantation” improve long-term safety without adversely affecting efficacy when treating multilesion coronary artery disease in the drug-eluting stent era?

Background  Though drug-eluting stent (DES) almost solved a problem of restenosis, safety issues related to stent thrombosis are still the major concern of DES. We hypothesized that hybrid stent implantation may decrease the use of DES, probably improving the long-term safety but not affecting efficacy adversely when treating multilesion coronary artery disease in the DES era.

Methods  From April 2004 to October 2006, 848 patients with multilesion disease underwent hybrid stent implantation. During the same period 5647 patients with multilesion coronary heart disease were treated by exclusive DES implantation in Fu Wai Hospital. According to propensity score matching, we chose 823 pairs of patients with multileison coronary artery disease for inclusion into our study. We obtained the 24-month clinical outcome including death, myocardial infarction (MI), thrombosis, target lesion revascularization (TLR), target vessel revascularization (TVR), and major adverse cardiac events (MACE, the composite of death, MI, and TVR). We used Cox’s proportional-hazard models to assess relative risks of all the outcome measures after propensity match.

Results  At 24 months, patients in the hybrid stent implantation group showed a significantly higher risk of TLR (8.39% vs. 3.28%, HR 2.38, 95% CI: 1.50–3.70), TVR (11.07% vs. 6.32%, HR 1.61, 95% CI: 1.15–2.27) and MACE (13.75% vs. 8.75%, HR 1.37, 95% CI: 1.02–1.85). No significant difference was apparent in terms of mortality (1.22% vs. 1.70%, HR 0.55, 95% CI: 0.24–1.25), MI (1.95% vs. 2.31%, HR 0.73, 95% CI: 0.37–1.42), or thrombosis (definite+probable) (0.73% vs. 1.58%, HR 0.40, 95% CI: 0.15–1.05).

Conclusions  In patients with multilesion coronary artery disease, the exclusive DES implantation was associated with significantly lower risks of TLR, TVR and MACE, and the hybrid stent implantation did not result in any significant improvements regarding safety issues. Prospective studies are needed to confirm our results.

     

国产药物洗脱支架在急性冠脉综合征中的应用

目的：探讨国产药物洗脱支架（Firebird支架）在急性冠脉综合征急诊介入治疗中应用的安全性和有效性.方法：2004年10月～2005年7月间治疗急性冠脉综合征患者86例,所有患者均于发病12h内行急诊经皮冠状动脉介入治疗（PCI）.治疗时随机置入Firebird支架或Cypher支架.Firebird支架组46例,Cypher支架组40例.结果：86例患者急诊PCI治疗均获得成功.Firebird组46支罪犯血管置入53枚Firebird支架,Cypher组40支罪犯血管置入49枚Cypher支架.其中1例置入Cypher支架者术后出现脑出血而死亡.Firebird支架组和Cypher支架组比较,PCI术后TIMI3级率和并发症发生率无显著性差异.对85例患者进行了3～6个月的随访,两组患者均未发生任何心血管事件,术后6个月Firebird支架组有20例（43%）行冠状动脉造影检查,无一例发生支架内再狭窄;Gypher支架组有19例（49%）行冠状动脉造影检查,1例发生支架内再狭窄,两组再狭窄率无显著性差异.结论：Firebird支架在急性冠脉综合征急诊介入治疗中应用有较好的安全性和有效性.     

Comparison of long-term clinical outcome after successful implantation of FIREBIRD and CYPHER sirolimus-eluting stents in daily clinical practice: analysis of a large single-center registry

Background  Recent data have shown that sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) reduced not only the incidences of restenosis but also of target vessel revascularization (TVR). CYPHER and FIREBIRD stents are both widely used SES in China. However, comparative data concerning differences in long-term safety and efficacy regarding CYPHER and FIREBIRD stents in the Chinese population are still not available.

Methods  From April 2004 to October 2006, 3979 consecutive patients who underwent successful SES (FIREBIRD 2274; CYPHER 1705) implantation were prospectively enrolled into this study. All enrolled patients were divided into two groups based on stent type. Follow-up data, including death, myocardial infarction (MI), thrombosis, target lesion revascularization (TLR), TVR, and major adverse cardiac events (MACE, the composite of death, MI, and TVR) were obtained at 24 months. Cox’s proportional-hazards models were used to assess relative risks of all the outcome measures between the two groups before and after propensity match.

Results  Unadjusted clinical outcomes demonstrated higher TVR (hazard ratio (HR) 1.78, 95%CI 1.26–2.50) and MACE (HR 1.40, 95%CI 1.08–1.82) for patients treated with FIREBIRD SES. After propensity match, the results showed a non-significant trend towards superiority of the CYPHER stent in all the analyzed parameters, however, no significant differences were found for all events at 24 months between FIREBIRD and CYPHER groups, and all thrombosis rates by Academic Research Consortium (ARC) definition were comparable between the two groups.

Conclusions  In this large, real-world population, the use of domestic FIREBIRD SES in China was associated with nearly the same safety and efficacy versus the imported CYPHER SES. FIREBIRD SES can be taken as an alternative for CYPHER SES in daily practice.

     

A comparison of clinical and angiographic outcomes after Excel bioabsorbable polymer versus Firebird durable polymer rapamycin-eluting stent for the treatment of coronary artery disease in a “real world” setting: six-month follow-up results

Background Several clinical trials have shown that rapamycin-eluting stents significantly reduce the risk of restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The Firebird stent and the Excel stent (coated with bioabsorbable polymer) are two different types of rapamycin-eluting stents made in China, both have been recently approved for clinical use in China by State Food and Drug Administration. However, it is unclear whether there are differences in safety and efficacy between the two types of stents in daily practice. Methods In the month of June 2006, a total of 190 consecutive patients were treated exclusively with Firebird stents (n=93, Firebird group) or Excel stents (n=97, Excel group) in our center and were included in this study. The frequency of major adverse cardiac events (MACE, a composite of death, myocardial infarction or target lesion revascularization), binary restenosis, and late lumen loss and stent thrombosis during a six-month follow-up period were compared between the two groups.Results Patient and lesion characteristics were comparable between the groups. Major adverse cardiac event rates were low in hospital and at 6 months (2.1% in the Excel group and 0% in the Firebird group, P﹥0.05). The 6-month angiographic in-stent restenosis rate was 0% in both groups, with an associated late loss of (0.15 ± 0.21) mm versus (0.14 ± 0.20) mm (P=0.858) and the in-segment restenosis rate was also 0% for the Excel group and the Firebird group. There was no definite stent thrombosis identified in either group during the six-month follow-up period and only one patient in the Excel group had probable stent thrombosis in hospital. Conclusions Results from this mid-term, single-center study showed that both of the Firebird and the Excel rapamycin eluting stent had similar effects on reducing the incidence of MACE and the risk of restenosis (both in-stent and in-segment binary restenosis) after PCI in daily practice.     

雷帕霉素药物洗脱支架的早中期安全性及有效性评价

目的评价雷帕霉素药物洗脱支架（drug—elutingstent,DES）在冠脉病变介入治疗后的安全性与有效性。方法从2009年1月1日-2011年11月1日期间在我院心血管内科行冠状动脉造影并置入雷帕霉素药物洗脱支架的患者中随机筛选500例,按随访时间将其分为术后1年随访组（130例）、术后3年随访组（139例）2组。采用电话随访或门诊检查,必要时复查冠脉造影观察在支架置入后不良心血管事件发生情况及靶血管复查造影情况。结果两组不良心血管事件总体发生率有统计学差异（3．25％VS13．28％,P=0．04）,其中靶病变血运重建发生率（2．44％VS8．59％,P=0．03）有统计学意义,而心源性死亡发生率f0．81％vs2．34％,P=0．64）和非致死性心肌梗死发生率（0．00％阳2．34％,P=0．26）无统计学差异;两组造影复查支架再狭窄率（4．88％瑚14．84％,P=0．008）有统计学意义。结论支架置入术术后3年与术后1年相比有较高的靶血管血运重建率及支架再狭窄率。     

国产Firebird 2TM与进口Endeavor-Sprint药物洗脱支架临床应用比较

目的对比研究国产Firebird 2TM雷帕霉素药物洗脱钴基合金支架与进口Endeavor-Sprint药物洗脱支架临床应用的安全性及疗效。方法对100例冠心病患者进行介入治疗,随机分为Firebird组和Endeavor组,每组50例,比较两组支架植入后效果。结果两组患者血管病变单支、双支、三支、分叉、慢性闭塞、左主干数比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),平均血管直径和平均靶病变长度比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05);两组手术成功率为100%。Firebird组无血栓形成事件发生,Endeavor组发生1例亚急性血栓形成事件,且进行血运重建。Firebird组28例复查冠状动脉造影,1例再狭窄;Endeavor组19例复查冠状动脉造影,2例有再狭窄,两组比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论 Firebird 2TM雷帕霉素药物洗脱钴基合金支架具有良好的安全性和满意的近、中期疗效。其与进口Endeavor-Sprint药物洗脱支架比较无明显差别。     

Comparison of in-hospital and long-term outcomes between a Cypher stent and a Taxus stent in Chinese diabetic patients with coronary artery disease

Background  The sirolimus and paclitaxel distribution patterns and tissue residence time may be modified in atherosclerotic lesions for patients with diabetes, and the biological mechanisms of action for these agents differ significantly. Previous clinical trials have yielded discrepant results of major adverse cardiac events and restenosis between a sirolimus-eluting stent and a paclitaxel-eluting stent in coronary artery disease. Therefore, this study was conduced to compare in-hospital and long-term clinical outcomes between patients receiving sirolimus-eluting stent (Cypher or Cypher Select stent) and paclitaxel-eluting stent (Taxus Express stent) after percutaneous intervention (PCI) in Chinese patients with diabetes.
Methods  One hundred and sixty-four consecutive diabetic patients underwent PCI in Fuwai Hospital from April 2004 to December 2004. Of them, 101 patients received Cypher or Cypher Select stents (Cypher group, 145 stents) and 63 patients received Taxus Express stents (Taxus group, 129 stents). Repeat coronary angiography was performed at 6-month and clinical outcomes were evaluated at 1- and 3-year follow-up. Stent thrombosis was classified according to Academic Research Consortium (ARC).
Results  The two groups did not differ significantly with respect to cardiac death, recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI), target vessel revascularization (TVR) and occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE). And the MACE-free cumulative survival at 1- and 3-year follow-up and early, late and very late thrombosis rates were also similar in the two groups (all P>0.05). There was a trend favoring PES over SES with regard to reducing cardiac death (0 vs 2.0%, P=0.524), re-MI (0 vs 2.0%, P=0.524), the composite of the cardiac death and re-MI (0 vs 4.0%, P=0.299) and very late thrombosis (0 vs 3.0%, P=0.295) between 1-year and 3-year follow-up.
Conclusion  The study indicates that PCI with either Cypher or Taxus stents is associated with similar efficacy and safety in the small population of Chinese diabetic patients during long-term follow-up.

     

Real world clinical performance of the zotarolimus eluting coronary stent system in Chinese patients: a prospective, multicenter registry study

Background  Early clinical trials with the Endeavor zotarolimus eluting stent (ZES) in western populations demonstrated low rates of target lesion revascularization with a favorable safety profile including low late stent thrombosis with up to 5 years of follow-up. The aim of this clinical registry study was to evaluate real world clinical performance of the ZES coronary system in Chinese patients.

Methods  The China Endeavor Registry is a prospective, multicenter registry assessing the safety of the ZES system in a real world patient population. It was conducted at 46 centers in China in routine treatment of patients with coronary artery stenosis, including patients with clinical characteristics or lesion types that are often excluded from randomized controlled trials. The registry included 2210 adult patients who underwent single-vessel or multi-vessel percutaneous coronary intervention. The primary end point was the rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 12 months.

Results  The 12-month rate of MACE for all patients in the registry was 3.03%. Cardiac death or myocardial infarction rate was 1.28% and target lesion revascularization rate was 1.66%, non-target lesion target vessel revascularization (TVR) was 0.52%, TVR was 2.18%, and target vessel failure was 3.22%. There was only one case of emergent cardiac bypass surgery. The 12-month overall incidence of all Academic Research Consortium (ARC)-defined stent thrombosis was 0.43%.

Conclusion  Mid-term results from the real-world China Endeavor Registry suggest that Endeavor ZES was safe and effective in Chinese patients.

     

Long-term follow-up of crush versus no crush technique for coronary artery bifurcation lesions

Background Lesions at coronary bifurcations always are a big challenge for interventionists even with the advent of drug eluting stents （DES）. Even as more clinical trials are published, operators still can not confirm that one strategy is more efficient than another. Selection of patients and short term follow-up contribute to the difficulty in comparing strategies. Methods From April 2004 to April 2008, 505 consecutive Chinese patients underwent DES implantation for true bifurcation lesions; including 258 using crush strategy （213 male, （56.7＋10.8） years old） and 247 using no crush strategy （206 male, （58.1＋10.1） years old） were analyzed.
Results The follow-up period ranged from 237 to 1223 days, average （537＋340） days for the crush group and （538＋351） days for the no crush group. There was no significant difference of major adverse cardiac events （MACE） rate between the two groups （10.1% vs 12.1%; P=-0.481）, nor in cardiac death, nonfatal myocardial infarction （MI） or in the target vessel revascularization （TVR） （0.4% vs 1.6%; P=0.207, 2.7% vs 2.8; P=1.000 and 7.0% vs 7.7%; P=0.865）. The stent thrombosis rate was similar in the two groups （1.6% vs 2.0%; P=0.409）, late and very late stent thrombosis in both groups were very low （0.4% vs 0.4%; P=-1.000）. Seven-month angiographic follow-up showed no significant difference of the restenosis rate between the two groups （11.0% vs 13.5%; P=0.786）. During the follow-up, cardiac death, nonfatal MI, TVR and ST free survival rate showed no significant difference between the two groups. The only variant identified as a predictor of MACE was percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） in the first two years, which accounted for 47% of patients of all cases in four years. Conclusion Crush technique showed similar long-term clinical effect compared with other two DES techniques for coronary bifurcation lesions, the surgeons＇ skills are very important for reducing clinical events.