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     

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.     

A randomized, prospective, two-center comparison of sirolimus-eluting stent and zotarolimus-eluting stent in acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction: The SEZE trial

Background  The zotarolimus-eluting stent has shown larger in-stent late lumen loss compared to sirolimus-eluting stents in previous studies. However, this has not been thoroughly evaluated in ST elevation myocardial infarction.

Methods  This was a prospective, randomized, controlled trial evaluating angiographic outcomes in patients presenting with ST elevation myocardial infarction, treated with zotarolimus-eluting stents or sirolimus-eluting stents. From March 2007 to February 2009, 122 patients were randomized to zotarolimus-eluting stents or sirolimus-eluting stents in a 1:1 fashion. The primary endpoint was 9-month in-stent late lumen loss confirmed by coronary angiography, and secondary endpoints were percent diameter stenosis, binary restenosis rate, major adverse cardiac events (a composite of cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and target vessel revascularization), and late-acquired incomplete stent apposition.

Results  Angiographic in-stent late lumen loss was significantly higher in the zotarolimus-eluting stent group compared to the sirolimus-eluting stent group ((0.49±0.65) mm vs. (0.10±0.46) mm, P=0.001). Percent diameter stenosis at 9-month follow-up was also larger in the zotarolimus-eluting stent group ((30.0±17.9)% vs. (17.6±14.0)%, P <0.001). In-segment analysis showed similar findings. There were no significant differences in binary restenosis rate, major adverse cardiac events, and late-acquired incomplete stent apposition.

Conclusions  Compared to sirolimus-eluting stents, the zotarolimus-eluting stent is associated with significantly higher in-stent late lumen loss at 9-month angiographic follow-up in the treatment of ST elevation myocardial infarction. Although there was no significant difference in 1-year clinical outcomes, the clinical implication of increased late lumen loss should be further studied.

     

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     

A prospective multicenter parallel-controlled trial of TIVOLI biodegradable-polymer-based sirolimus-eluting stent compared to ENDEAVOR zotarolimus-eluting stent for the treatment of coronary artery disease: 8-month angiographic and 2-year clinical follow-up results

Background  Available drug-eluting stents (DES) have achieved great success in reducing restenosis rates. Recently, investigators have demonstrated that the durable polymer carrier plays a significant role in DES-related hypersensitive reaction and delays vessel healing. TIVOLI stent is a novel sirolimus-eluting coronary stent with biodegradable coating containing sirolimus and polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA) polymer. The present study sought to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of the TIVOLI biodegradable-polymer-based sirolimus-eluting stent in treating patients with coronary artery disease. 

Methods  A prospective, multicenter clinical trial comparing TIVOLI biodegradable coated sirolimus-eluting stent with ENDEAVOR zotarolimus-eluting stent was conducted in 324 patients (TIVOLI group: 168 patients; ENDEAVOR group: 156 patients) at 12 centers in China to demonstrate the non-inferiority of in-stent late loss with TIVOLI stent compared to ENDEAVOR stent in subjects with a maximum of two de novo native coronary artery lesions (lesion length ≤40 mm, reference vessel diameter 2.25–4.00 mm). The primary end point was angiographic in-stent late loss at 8-month. The secondary end points were clinical outcomes at 2 years, including major adverse cardiac events (cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or target-lesion revascularization) and stent thrombosis.

Results  Angiographic late lumen loss at 8 months in the TIVOLI group was superior to the ENDEAVOR group (in-stent (0.25±0.33) mm vs. (0.57±0.55) mm, diff (95% CI) –0.23 (–0.32, –0.14), P <0.0001; in-segment (0.25±0.33) mm vs. (0.42±0.55) mm, diff (95% CI) –0.13 (–0.23, –0.02), P=0.0083). The rate of in-stent binary restenosis at 8 months was reduced from 8.6% in the ENDEAVOR group to 2.9% in the TIVOLI group (P=0.0229). Compared to ENDEAVOR stent, TIVOLI stent resulted in a significant reduction in target-lesion revascularization (4.2% vs. 9.6%, P=0.0495) at 2 years. The two-year major adverse cardiac events (MACE) rate was lower for the TIVOLI group, but not significantly different (6.6% vs. 10.9%, P=0.1630).

Conclusions  TIVOLI was superior to ENDEAVOR stent with respect to late lumen loss at 8 months, and it yielded both lower rates of angiographic binary restenosis at 8 months and target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 2 years. The MACE rate at 2 years was comparable in both groups.

     

Smoking control hindered by realities in China

Background Calcified coronary lesions carry the risk of suboptimal stent expansion, subsequently leading to restenosis. The effectiveness of sirolimus-eluting stents （SES） for the treatment of calcified lesion has not been fully investigated. In the present study, therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness of SES implantation for the treatment of calcified coronary lesions.Mothods A total of 333 consecutive patients with 453 lesions were enrolled in this study. They were divided into two groups according to whether the lesion treated with SES was calcified or not; no calcification group （n=-264） and calcification group （n=-189）. Lesions treated with SES were subjected to quantitative coronary angiography （QCA） immediately and 8 months following stenting. Results Baseline clinical, demographic or angiographic characteristics were well balanced in both groups. Angiographic follow-up at 8 months, the in-stent restenosis and in-segment restenosis rates were not significantly different between the two groups; instent restenosis： 3.8% vs 4.2%; P=0.081; in-segment restenosis： 8.7% vs 10.6%, P=0.503. The target lesion revascularization （TLR） was also not significantly different between the two groups; 4.9% vs 6.9%, P=0.378. In addition, the in-stent late loss was similar in both groups; （0.16±0.40） mm vs （0.17±0.33） mm, P〉0.05. Meantime, overall thrombosis rates were also similar in both groups; 1.6% vs 1.6%, P〉0.05. Conclusion Although calcified coronary lesion was hard to stent, successful percutaneous coronary intervention with SES stenting for calcified lesions was conferred by the similar favorable results that were seen when comparing non-calcified and calcified coronary lesions.     

Nine-month angiographic and two-year clinical follow-up of polymer-free sirolimus-eluting stent versus durable-polymer sirolimus-eluting stent for coronary artery disease: the Nano randomized trial

Background First generation drug-eluting stents （DES） were associated with a high incidence of late stent thrombosis （ST）,mainly due to delayed healing and re-endothelization by the durable polymer coating.This study sought to assess the safety and efficacy of the Nano polymer-free sirolimus-eluting stent （SES） in the treatment of patients with de novo coronary artery lesions.Methods The Nano trial is the first randomized trial designed to compare the safety and efficacy of the Nano polymer-free SES and Partner durable-polymer SES （Lepu Medical Technology,Beijing,China） in the treatment of patients with de novo native coronary lesions.The primary endpoint was in-stent late lumen loss （LLL） at 9-month follow-up.The secondary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events （MACE）,a composite of cardiac death,myocardial infarction or target lesion revascularization.Results A total of 291 patients （Nano group：n=143,Partner group：n=148） were enrolled in this trial from 19 Chinese centers.The Nano polymer-free SES was non-inferior to the Partner durable-polymer DES at the primary endpoint of 9 months （P 〈0.001）.The 9-month in-segment LLL of the polymer-free Nano SES was comparable to the Partner SES （0.34±0.42） mm vs.（0.30±0.48） mm,P=0.21）.The incidence of MACE in the Nano group were 7.6% compared to the Partner group of 5.9% （P=0.75） at 2 years follow-up.The frequency of cardiac death and stent thrombosis was low for both Nano and Partner SES （0.8% vs.0.7%,0.8% vs.1.5%,both P=1.00）.Conclusions In this multicenter randomized Nano trial,the Nano polymer-free SES showed similar safety and efficacy compared with the Partner SES in the treatment of patients with de novo coronary artery lesions.Trials in patients with complex lesions and longer term follow-up are necessary to confirm the clinical performance of this novel Nano polymer-free SES.     

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)

     

Drug-eluting stent for the treatment of small coronary lesion: comparison between sirolimus- and paclitaxel-eluting stent

Background  Patients with small coronary lesions are at increased risk for repeat interventions after coronary angioplasty and stenting. The efficacy of drug-eluting stents (DES) has been demonstrated to improve the outcomes of these patients and is a focus of interest. Currently, two platforms of DES are available (sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) and paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES)). However, it has less been known that DES, SES vs PES, is superior for the treatment of small coronary lesions.
Methods  In this retrospective study, 87 consecutive patients with 151 lesions underwent implantation of coronary SES (n=68) and PES (n=83). Quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) was performed at the time of stent implantation and subsequently at 8 months post-stenting. Small vessel disease was defined as lesions in vessels with diameter 2.5 mm measured by QCA. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) including death, thrombosis, nonfatal myocardial infarction and target lesion revascularization (TLR) were compared between the two groups.
Results  Baseline clinical characteristics and angiographic parameters were similar between the two groups. At clinical and angiographic follow-up, overall thrombosis rates were similar in both groups (0 vs 1.2%, P>0.05). The TLR and in-segment restenosis were not significantly different (19.1% vs 25.3%; 10.3% vs 10.8%, P=0.365 and P=0.913 respectively) between the two groups. The in-stent restenosis rate, however, was significantly higher in the PES group (4.4% vs 21.7%; P=0.002). Similarly, the late loss was significantly higher in the PES group ((0.140.38) mm vs (0.490.61) mm; P<0.001).
Conclusions  In this small sample-size, non-randomized study, the data indicated that implantation of SES for the treatment of patients with small coronary lesion showed more favorable results in respect of restenosis compared with PES implantation.

     

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.     

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 clinical outcomes after bioabsorbable polymer- and durable polymer-based sirolimus-eluting stents implantation: two-year follow-up results from a large single-center database

Background Several clinical trials have shown that sirolimus-eluting stents significantly reduce the risk of restenosis after percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI）. The FIREBIRD stent （coated with durable polymer） and the EXCEL stent （coated with bioabsorbable polymer） are two different types of sirolimus-eluting stents made in China; both have been approved for clinical use in China by the State Food and Drug Administration. The mid-term （6-month） angiographic and clinical results of both stents have been confirmed exciting perspective outcomes. However, it is unclear whether there are differences in the long-term safety and efficacy between the two types of stents in daily practice.
Methods All consecutive patients undergoing elective PCI with EXCEL or FIREBIRD stents between June 1,2006 and December 31, 2006 at Fu Wai Hospital in Beijing were included. Patients were classified from the index admission according to stent types （EXCEL or FIREBIRD） used. Clinical and procedural risk factors were collected prospectively. With propensity score matching without replacement, the frequency of major adverse cardiac events （MACE, a composite of death, myocardial infarction or target vessel revascularization） and stent thrombosis during a 2-year follow-up period were compared between the two groups.
Results A total of 474 patients were treated with EXCEL, and 640 were treated with FIREBIRD. Three hundred and ninety-seven EXCEL patients were matched to 397 FIREBIRD patients, 2-year risk-adjusted MACE rates were 6.1% in EXCEL group and 7.6% in FIREBIRD group （HR 0.84, 95%CI0.50-1.43）, whereas the respective rates for mortality, myocardial infarction and target-vessel revascularization were 2.3% vs 2.8% （HR 0.74, 95%CI0.30-0.85）, 1.8% vs 1.3% （HR 1.41,95%CI 0.45-4.43） and 2.5% vs 4.0% （HR 0.62, 95%CI0.28-0.37）, respectively. Cumulative incidence of stent thrombosis at 2 years was 1.8% in the EXCEL group vs 1.3% in the FIREBIRD group （P=0.5610）, whereas the rate of very late stent thrombosis was 0.5% vs 1.3% （P=0.2550）.
Conclusions Results from this long-term, relatively large size, single-center study showed that both of the EXCEL and the FIREBIRD sirolimus-eluting stent had similar and lower incidence of MACE after PCI in daily practice.     

Efficacy and safety of FIREHAWK(r) abluminal groove filled biodegradable polymer sirolimus-eluting stents for the treatment of long coronary lesions: nine-month angiographic and one-year clinical results from TARGET I trial long cohort

Background Previous studies indicated that long coronary lesions are one of the key predictors of drug-eluting stent (DES) failure.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and the safety ...     

A comparison of angiographic and clinical outcomes after sirolimus-eluting versus paclitaxel-eluting stents for the treatment of in-stent restenosis

Background In-stent restenosis （ISR） remains a challenge for interventional cardiologists. Some data suggest that drug-eluting stents （DES） represent a promising new option for the treatment of patients with ISR. Currently, 2 DES platforms are available [sirolimus-eluting stents （SES） and paclitaxel-eluting stents （PES） ], but the superiority of either approach for treating ISR has not been convincingly demonstrated. The aim of the present study was to retrospectively compare angiographic and clinical outcomes after treatment of ISR with SES or PES in a series of consecutive patients with ISR.     

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.

     

Age-based clinical and angiographic outcomes after sirolimus-eluting stent implantation in patients with coronary artery disease

Background Advanced age independently predicts early and late mortality and major adverse cardiac events （MACE） after percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI）. Randomized clinical trials indicate that siroUmus-eluting stent （SES） implantation reduces target lesion revascularization （TLR）, but there are limited data on the impact of age on outcomes following SES implantation in patients with coronary artery disease （CAD） in real-world practice. Methods A total of 333 CAD patients with 453 lesions were enrolled in this study. Subjects were divided into two groups according to age： a young group （〈65 years old, 244 patients with 369 lesions） and elderly group （≥65 years old, 89 patients with 113 lesions）. Clinical follow-up and quantitative coronary angiography （QCA） were performed seven months after PCh Results Baseline clinical, demographic, angiographic, and procedural chararcteristics were similar in both groups, except that there were more female patients in the elderly group （21.3% vs 9.8%, P=-0.006）. Primary success rate was similar in both groups （96.5% in young group vs 95.7% in elderly group, P〉0.05）. During angiographic follow-up at 7 months, binary in-stent restenosis and in-segment restenosis rates were not significantly different between the two groups （4.7% vs 1.8%; 9.7% vs 8.8%, P〉0.05 respectively）. Both sub-acute and late thrombosis rates were similar in the two groups （0.3% vs 0.9% and 1.2% vs 0.9%, P〉0.05 respectively. TLFI was not significantly different between the two groups （6.5% vs 3.5%;P=-0.246）. The rates of bleeding, stroke, angina rehospitalization during the, follow-up period were also similar in both groups （P〉0.05 respectively）. Conclusion Despite a high-risk clinical profile, coronary SES implantation can be safely and effectively performed in elderly patients with a similar procedural success rate, a low complication rate, and excellent 7-month outcomes.     

Is adjunctive balloon postdilatation necessary with drug-eluting stents? One center experience in Chinese patients

Background With the advent of drug-eluting stents （DES） and much lower rates of target vessel revascularization （TVR）, whether adjunctive balloon postdilatation can further optimize outcome is still unknown. The present study was to compare the outcomes of postdilatation with un-postdilatation following deployment of DES. Methods From April 2004 to September 2006, 6479 consecutive Chinese patients who underwent DES implantation, including 1769 with postdilatation （1454 male, （57.9 ± 10.8） years old） and 4710 without postdilatation （3819 male, （57.9 ± 10.6） years old） were analyzed. Clinical and angiographic follow-up was performed at 7 months. Results Compared with the un-postdilatation group, the postdilatation group had more complex lesions and larger relevant vessel diameter （RVD）. In the postdilatation group, in-stent residual restenosis was significantly improved right after the procedure （（16.80±5.88）% vs （19.60±6.07）%; P=0.000）. There was no statistical difference in the major adverse cardiac events （MACE） rate between the groups （2.9% vs 3.3%; P=0.420）, and there were also no statistical differences in death, acute myocardial infarction （AMI） and target lesion revascularization （TLR） rates in the two groups （0.1% vs 0.4%, P=0.127; 1.7% vs 1.3%, P=0.229; and 1.5% vs 2.0%, P=0.206, respectively）. The in-stent thrombosis rate was almost the same in both groups （0.5% vs 0.5%; P=1.000）. Seven months angiographic follow-up results showed that both in-stent and in-segment restenosis rates were lower in the postdilatation group （8.8% vs 15.6%, P=0.000; and 10.5% vs 17.3%, P=0.000）, and so were instent and in-segment late loss （（0.32±0.12） mm vs （0.49±0.13） mm, P=0.000; and （0.24±0.08） mm vs （0.36±0.09） mm, P=0.001 ）. Conclusion Postdilatation after DES deployment was safe and could reduce the restenosis rate, especially for more complex lesions.     

Six-month clinical outcomes of Firebird 2TM sirolimus-eluting stent implantation in real-world patients with coronary artery diseases

Background  The Firebird 2^TM sirolimus-eluting stent (Firebird 2 stent) is a second-generation sirolimus-eluting stent which has a cobalt-chromium alloy stent platform, a brand new bracket structure, and two layers of styrene-butylenes-styrene polymer coatings with better biocompatibility. The Firebird 2^TM cObalt-Chromium alloy sirolimus-elUting Stent registry (FOCUS registry) aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Firebird 2 stent in patients with coronary artery disease in daily practice.

Methods  The FOCUS registry is a prospective, non-randomized, international multi-center, single-arm clinical registry. Between March 2009 and February 2010, 5084 patients receiving at least 1 Firebird 2 stent during daily clinical practice at 83 medical centers were enrolled.

Results  Of the 5084 patients enrolled in the registry, 5077 and 5058 were respectively available for 30 days and 6 months follow-up. The 30-day rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) was 1.20%, including 13 cardiac deaths, 46 non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI), and 6 target vessel revascularization (TVR). At 6 months follow-up, the rate of MACE was 1.80%. There were 32 cardiac deaths, 48 non-fatal MI, and 15 TVR. According to the Academic Research Consortium definition, definite/probable stent thrombosis (ST) occurred in 0.43% (22/5058) of patients, including 8 cases of acute ST, 11 subacute ST, and 3 late ST.

Conclusion  The Firebird 2 stent showed the promising efficacy and safety at 30 days and 6 months in a real-world population of patients with coronary artery diseases.

     

COMPARISON OF SHORT- AND LONG-TERM OUTCOMES BETWEEN CYPHER AND TAXUS DRUG-ELUTING STENTS FOR IN-STENT RESTENOSIS

IN-STENT restenosis (ISR) is the overriding factorthat influences therapeutic effect of interventionaltherapy.Although balloon dilation, especially for thecutting balloon, showed some effects on ISR lesions, therestenosis rate after balloon dilation remai…     

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.