Comparison of safety and efficacy of sirolimus-eluting stents versus bare metal stents in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Sirolimus-eluting stents (SESs) are superior to bare metal stents (BMSs) for percutaneous coronary intervention, but data regarding SESs in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) are limited. We investigated the clinical outcomes of patients with STEMI who were treated with SESs. We measured clinical characteristics and acute and long-term outcomes in 306 consecutive patients with STEMI who received a SES (n = 156) or a BMS (n = 150). Patients were followed for death, nonfatal reinfarction, and target vessel revascularization. Patients with SESs had a 0.6% in-hospital mortality rate versus 5.3% in patients with BMSs (p = 0.015). Six-month mortality rates were 1.9% (SES) and 10.1% (BMS, p = 0.003). At 6 months, patients with SESs were less likely to have target vessel revascularization (1.3% vs 8.1%, p = 0.005) and achieve the composite end point (3.2% vs 16.1%, p = 0.0001). No subacute thrombosis or clinical restenosis occurred in the SES group. Patients who received BMSs were older, received more stents, and had more myocardial damage, worse renal function, and lower ejection fractions than did those in the SES group. By multivariate discriminant analysis, stent type (SES vs BMS) was the most significant determinant of the 6-month composite end point (p = 0.01) and the need for target vessel revascularization (p = 0.02). In conclusion, SESs are safe and effective in STEMI at 6 months.