Safety and efficacy of the latest generation biodegradable polymer-coated ultrathin sirolimus-eluting stent in the treatment of coronary artery disease in a European all-comer population with or without high bleeding risk: The Cruz HBR Registry.

BACKGROUND: The latest generation ultrathin Supraflex Cruz (Sahajanand Medical Technologies Limited, Surat, India) sirolimus-eluting stent (SES) has shown early healing properties and represents an attractive percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) device in a high bleeding risk (HBR) population. The aim of this Cruz HBR registry was to assess safety and efficacy of the Supraflex Cruz SES in a large cohort of all-comer patients, of whom about one third were patients at HBR. METHODS: Patients undergoing PCI were enrolled in this prospective, multi-centre, open label registry and stratified into non-HBR and HBR groups. The primary endpoint was a device-oriented composite endpoint (DOCE), a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction not clearly attributable to a non-target vessel and clinically driven target lesion revascularization within 12 months after PCI. The predefined aims were to show non-inferiority of the non-HBR group to the Supraflex arm of the TALENT Trial, and of the HBR group to polymer-free biolimus-coated stent arm of LEADERS FREE Trial. RESULTS: A total of 1203 patients were enrolled across 26 European centers, including a significant proportion (38.7%; N.=466) of HBR patients. A total of 1745 lesions were treated in 1203 patients and 2235 stents were implanted. The DOCE occurred within the total cohort in 5.8% of patients with a significant difference between HBR patients and non-HBR patients (8.1% vs. 4.4%; P<0.001). All-cause mortality at 12 months was significantly (P<0.0001) different among HBR (9.0%) and non-HBR patients (1.7%), respectively. At 12 months, the overall incidence of definite and probable stent thrombosis was 1.0%. Major bleeding occurred in 5.9% patients of the HBR group. These results met the non-inferiority criteria with respect to the TALENT trial for the non-HBR group (P<0.0001), and the LEADERS FREE trial for the HBR group (P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The Cruz HBR registry confirms that PCI with the Supraflex Cruz SES is associated with a favorable clinical outcome in an all-comer population, including complex patients with HBR.

Intravascular ultrasound predictors of long-term outcomes following ABSORB bioresorbable scaffold implantation: A pooled analysis of the ABSORB III and ABSORB Japan trials.

BACKGROUND: The long-term prognostic impact of IVUS findings following Absorb BVS implantation remains uncertain. This study aimed to identify the IVUS predictors of long-term clinical outcomes following ABSORB bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) implantation from the pooled IVUS substudy cohorts of the ABSORB III and Japan trials. METHODS: A total of 298 lesions in 286 patients were enrolled with 2:1 randomization to ABSORB BVS vs. cobalt-chromium everolimus-eluting stents. This sub-analysis included 168 lesions of 160 patients in the Absorb arm whose post-procedural quantitative IVUS were available. The primary endpoint of this analysis was device-oriented composite endpoint (DOCE) of target lesion failure, including cardiac death, target vessel-related myocardial infarction, or ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization. The median follow-up duration was 4.9 [3.1-5.0] years. RESULTS: During follow-up, DOCE occurred in 10.1% of lesions treated with Absorb BVS. Among several post-procedural IVUS indices associated with DOCE, non-uniform device expansion (defined as uniformity index = minimum / maximum device area) (hazard ratio 0.47 per 0.1 increase [95%CI 0.28 to 0.77]; p = 0.003) and residual reference plaque burden (hazard ratio 4.01 per 10% increase [95%CI 1.50 to 10.77]; p = 0.006) were identified as independent predictors of DOCE by Cox multivariable analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Nonuniform device expansion and substantial untreated residual plaque in reference segments were associated with long-term adverse events following BVS implantation. Baseline imaging to identify the appropriate device landing zone and procedural imaging to achieve uniform device expansion if possible (e.g. through post-dilatation) may improve clinical outcomes of BVS implantation. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT01751906 (ABSORB III); NCT01844284 (ABSORB Japan).

Scaffold underexpansion and late lumen loss after bioresorbable scaffold implantation: Insights from ABSORB JAPAN trial.

BACKGROUND: Device underexpansion is associated with late adverse outcomes after bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) implantation. This study, representing official IVUS results of the ABSORB Japan trial, aimed to characterize IVUS findings, focusing specifically on acute device expansion, and to investigate its impact on late lumen loss (LLL) with Absorb-BVS compared with cobalt-chromium everolimus-eluting stents (CoCr-EES). METHODS: ABSORB Japan enrolled 148 patients (2:1 randomization) in the IVUS cohort. Serial IVUS was prescheduled at post-procedure and 3 years. Acute device expansion was evaluated with respect to the degree and uniformity of the implanted device. RESULTS: Overall, Absorb-BVS showed smaller and more nonuniform device expansion at post-procedure, compared with CoCr-EES, which was particularly prominent in small-vessel lesions. In serial analysis, Absorb-BVS showed unique associations of smaller device expansion (r = 0.40, p = 0.001) and more nonuniformity (r = 0.29, p = 0.007) at post-procedure with greater LLL at 3 years, primarily attributable to greater negative remodeling (r = 0.39, p = 0.006). In contrast, acute device expansion showed no relation with subsequent lumen change in CoCr-EES. In Absorb-BVS, ischemic-driven target lesion or vessel revascularization (ID-TLR or ID-TVR) at 3 years occurred more frequently in small- versus large-vessel lesions (12.5% vs. 0%, p = 0.04 for ID-TLR and 15.6% vs. 2.3%, p = 0.08 for ID-TVR). Conversely, Absorb BVS had no target lesion nor vessel failure, even in small-vessel lesions, when adequate device expansion was achieved at post-procedure. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike CoCr-EES, underexpansion was associated with greater negative remodeling and LLL in Absorb-BVS. This may in part account for the poorer outcomes of Absorb-BVS than CoCr-EES when under-expanded.

Four-Year Outcomes of Multivessel Percutaneous Coronary Intervention With Xience V Everolimus-Eluting Stents.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the long-term outcomes of multivessel compared with single-vessel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with Xience V everolimus-eluting stents in real-world patients. BACKGROUND: Treatment options for multivessel disease include PCI, coronary artery bypass grafting, and medical therapy. Patients with multivessel disease are at a higher risk for ischemic complications than those with single-vessel disease. METHODS: The XIENCE V USA study was a condition-of-approval, single-arm, prospective study in unselected real-world patients. Patients who underwent multivessel PCI (n = 655) were compared with those who underwent single-vessel PCI (n = 4079). Major clinical outcomes, including mortality, stent thrombosis, and target-lesion failure (TLF), were evaluated at 4 years. RESULTS: At 4 years, mortality was similar in both groups (11.1% in multivessel patients vs 9.8% in single-vessel patients; P=.31). The multivessel PCI group had higher rates of Academic Research Consortium (ARC)-defined TLF (24.3% vs 16.4% in single-vessel patients; P<.001) and ARC-defined definite and probable stent thrombosis (2.43% vs 1.11% in single-vessel patients; P=.02). The independent predictors of ARC-defined TLF at 4 years on multivariable analysis were prior myocardial infarction, number of treated vessels, total stent length, and sex. CONCLUSION: Despite significant differences in baseline characteristics, long-term mortality rates were similar in both groups. Although ischemic complications were higher in the multivessel PCI group, the overall rates were acceptable, demonstrating the safety and efficacy of Xience V everolimus-eluting stents for the treatment of multivessel disease in a real-world population.

Three-year clinical outcomes of patients treated with everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffolds: Final results of the ABSORB EXTEND trial

BACKGROUND: There is still limited data on the very long term clinical outcomes after ABSORB BRS in daily practice. We sought to evaluate the 3 year-performance of the Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffolds for the treatment of low/moderate complexity patients enrolled in the ABSORB EXTEND trial. METHODS: ABSORB EXTEND is a prospective, single-arm, open-label clinical study in which 812 patients were enrolled at 56 sites. This study allowed the treatment of lesions ≤28 mm in length and reference vessel diameter of 2.0-3.8 mm (as assessed by on-line QCA). To determine the independent predictors of MACE, a multivariable logistic regression model was built using a stepwise (forward/backward) procedure. RESULTS: Average population age was 61 years and 26.5% had diabetes. Most patients had single target lesion (92.4%). Adequate scaffold deployment (PSP) was achieved in 14.2% of the cases. At three years, the composite endpoints of MACE and ischemia-driven target vessel failure were 9.2% and 10.6%, respectively. The cumulative rate of ARC definite/probable thrombosis was 2.2%, with 1.2% of the cases occurring after the 1st year. Independent predictors of MACE were hypertension and the need for "bail out" stent. CONCLUSION: At three-year follow-up, the use of ABSORB in low/moderate complex PCI was associated with low and acceptable rates of major adverse clinical events, despite the infrequent use of the recommended contemporary scaffold deployment technique. However, scaffold thrombosis rate was higher than reported with current generation of metallic DES. (AU)

Three-year clinical outcomes of patients treated with everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffolds: Final results of the ABSORB EXTEND trial.

BACKGROUND: There is still limited data on the very long term clinical outcomes after ABSORB BRS in daily practice. We sought to evaluate the 3 year-performance of the Absorb bioresorbable vascular scaffolds for the treatment of low/moderate complexity patients enrolled in the ABSORB EXTEND trial. METHODS: ABSORB EXTEND is a prospective, single-arm, open-label clinical study in which 812 patients were enrolled at 56 sites. This study allowed the treatment of lesions ≤28 mm in length and reference vessel diameter of 2.0-3.8 mm (as assessed by on-line QCA). To determine the independent predictors of MACE, a multivariable logistic regression model was built using a stepwise (forward/backward) procedure. RESULTS: Average population age was 61 years and 26.5% had diabetes. Most patients had single target lesion (92.4%). Adequate scaffold deployment (PSP) was achieved in 14.2% of the cases. At three years, the composite endpoints of MACE and ischemia-driven target vessel failure were 9.2% and 10.6%, respectively. The cumulative rate of ARC definite/probable thrombosis was 2.2%, with 1.2% of the cases occurring after the 1st year. Independent predictors of MACE were hypertension and the need for "bail out" stent. CONCLUSION: At three-year follow-up, the use of ABSORB in low/moderate complex PCI was associated with low and acceptable rates of major adverse clinical events, despite the infrequent use of the recommended contemporary scaffold deployment technique. However, scaffold thrombosis rate was higher than reported with current generation of metallic DES. The study is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (unique identifier NCT01023789).

Bioresorbable Scaffold for Treatment of Coronary Artery Lesions: Intravascular Ultrasound Results From the ABSORB Japan Trial.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to characterize post-procedural intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) findings in the ABSORB Japan trial, specifically stratified by the size of target coronary arteries. BACKGROUND: Despite overall noninferiority confirmed in recent randomized trials comparing bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS) (Absorb BVS) and cobalt-chromium everolimus-eluting metallic stents (CoCr-EES), higher event rates of Absorb BVS have been reported with suboptimal deployment, especially in small coronary arteries. METHODS: In the ABSORB Japan trial, 150 patients (2:1 randomization) were scheduled in the IVUS cohort. Small vessel was defined as mean reference lumen diameter <2.75 mm. Tapered-vessel lesions were defined as tapering index (proximal/distal reference lumen diameter) ≥1.2. RESULTS: Overall, IVUS revealed that the Absorb BVS arm had smaller device expansion than the CoCr-EES arm did, which was particularly prominent in small- and tapered-vessel lesions. Higher tapering index was also associated with higher rates of incomplete strut apposition in Absorb BVS, but not in CoCr-EES. With respect to procedural techniques, small-vessel lesions were treated more frequently with noncompliant balloons at post-dilatation but using significantly lower pressure in the Absorb BVS arm. In contrast, tapered-vessel lesions were post-dilated at equivalent pressure but with significantly smaller balloon catheters in the Absorb BVS arm, compared with the CoCr-EES arm. CONCLUSIONS: The significantly smaller device expansion especially in small vessels may account for the poorer outcomes of Absorb BVS in this lesion type. Appropriate optimization strategy, possibly different between polymeric and metallic devices, needs to be established for bioresorbable scaffold technology. (AVJ-301 Clinical Trial: A Clinical Evaluation of AVJ-301 Absorb™ BVS) in Japanese Population [ABSORB JAPAN]; NCT01844284).

Clinical outcomes after PCI treatment of very long lesions with the XIENCE V everolimus eluting stent; Pooled analysis from the SPIRIT and XIENCE V USA prospective multicenter trials.

BACKGROUND: Lesion length has been an important factor in predicting a worse outcome after percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI); however, the safety and efficacy of second-generation drug eluting stents in very long coronary lesions has not been validated in large scale randomized controlled trials. METHODS: We performed a patient level pooled analysis of 13,266 patients undergoing planned overlapping stent treatment of very long coronary lesions with the XIENCE V everolimus eluting coronary stent system from 6 trials evaluating the XIENCE V stent (Spirit II, III, IV, V, Spirit Small Vessel and XIENCE V USA). Patients were divided into two cohorts, a very long lesion (VLL) group (lesions ≥35 mm) and a control group (lesions >24 to <35 mm). The primary outcome measures were Target Lesion Failure (TLF), Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE), and Academic Research Consortium (ARC) defined definite and probable stent thrombosis at 1 year. RESULTS: A total of 13,266 patients were included in the pooled analysis of which 2.4% (323 patients with 328 total lesions) had a mean lesion length of 47.1 ± 13.7 mm in the VLL group which were compared to controls comprised of 3.6% of the cohort (482 patients with 500 total lesions) with mean lesion length of 28.1 ± 2.4 mm.There was no significant difference in the rates of TLF between the VVL and control groups (8.9 vs. 10%, P = 0.63), MACE (9.2 vs. 10%, P = 0.74) or stent thrombosis (1.6 vs. 1.5%, P = 0.92) at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS: In the treatment of very long coronary lesions, the XIENCE V stent appears as safe and effective as percutaneous coronary interventions for long lesions. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

One-year clinical outcomes of patients treated with everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffolds versus everolimus-eluting metallic stents: a propensity score comparison of patients enrolled in the ABSORB EXTEND and SPIRIT trials.

AIMS: We sought to compare the outcomes of low/moderate complexity patients treated with the Absorb BVS from the ABSORB EXTEND trial with patients treated with the XIENCE everolimus-eluting stent (EES), using propensity score (PS) matching of pooled data from the SPIRIT trials (SPIRIT II, SPIRIT III, SPIRIT IV) and the XIENCE V USA trial. METHODS AND RESULTS: ABSORB EXTEND was a prospective, single-arm, open-label clinical study in which 812 patients were enrolled at 56 sites. This study allowed the treatment of lesions ≤28 mm in length and with a reference vessel diameter of 2.0-3.8 mm (as assessed by online QCA). The propensity score was obtained by fitting a logistic regression model with the cohort indicator as the binary outcome and other variables as the predictor variables. At one-year clinical follow-up, there was no statistical difference between groups with regard to MACE (5.0% vs. 4.8%, p=0.83), target lesion failure (5.0% vs. 4.7%, p=0.74), ischaemia-driven target vessel revascularisation (2.3% vs. 3.0%, p=0.38) and device thrombosis (1.0% vs. 0.3%, p=0.11). Myocardial infarction was higher with Absorb (3.3% vs. 1.5%, p=0.02), at the expense of periprocedural CK-MB elevation. Independent predictors of MACE among patients receiving Absorb BVS were treatment of multivessel disease, insulin-dependent diabetes and performance of post-dilation. CONCLUSIONS: At one-year follow-up, propensity score-matched analysis demonstrated that the clinical safety and effectiveness of Absorb are comparable to those of XIENCE EES among non-complex patients treated with PCI.

Current practices of Asia-Pacific cardiologists in the utilization of bioresorbable scaffolds.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Although Absorb Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffolds (A-BVS) are routinely used in the Asia-Pacific, there is little information on patient selection or deployment technique here. This document investigates the experiences of leading interventional cardiologists from the Asia-Pacific region with a focus on patient characteristics, deployment techniques and management. METHODS AND RESULTS: A detailed questionnaire was distributed to 28 highly-experienced interventional cardiologists ('Authors') from 13 Asia-Pacific countries. The results were discussed at a meeting on patient selection, technical consideration, deployment practices and patient management. Potential patient benefits of Absorb compared to metallic DES, the learning curve for patient selection and preparation, device deployment, and subsequent patient management approaches are presented. CONCLUSIONS: Current practices are derived from guidelines optimized for European patients. Differences in approach exist in the Asia-Pacific context, including limited access to imaging and frequency of occurrence of complex lesions. Nevertheless, the use of the Absorb BVS ('Absorb') in certain Asia-Pacific countries has flourished and practices here are continuing to mature.

Clinical outcomes in real-world patients with bifurcation lesions receiving Xience V everolimus-eluting stents: Four-year results from the Xience V USA study.

BACKGROUND: The Xience V USA Study demonstrated safety and efficacy of the XIENCE V(®) everolimus-eluting stent (EES) in a large, prospective study of a real-world, unselected patient population. There is limited long-term data regarding EES performance in high risk patients with bifurcation lesions (BIF). The objective of this analysis was to evaluate the long-term safety and effectiveness of EES in patients with BIF from the XIENCE V USA study. METHODS: The Xience V USA Study was a single arm, prospective, multicenter, real-world study (n = 5,054) undergoing PCI with EES. Baseline data and clinical outcomes at 4 years were evaluated in the subgroup of patients with ≥ 1 BIF who did not undergo a staged procedure. Co-primary endpoints were ARC definite/probable stent thrombosis and a composite of cardiac death and ARC-defined myocardial infarction (MI). Endpoints were adjudicated by an independent CEC. RESULTS: Of 4,768 patients who did not undergo a staged procedure, there were 511 (10.7%) patients with BIF and 4,257 (89.3%) patients without BIF. Follow-up data was available in 4,459 patients (466 BIF, 3,993 non-BIF). Through binary outcome analysis, at 1 year the overall definite/probable stent thrombosis rates were higher in the BIF group (1.84% vs. 0.76%, P = 0.03). However, at 4 years, the difference in cumulative rates of ARC definite/probable stent thrombosis (BIF 2.3% vs. non-BIF 1.4%, P = 0.13) remained the same as that at 1 year, with no incremental definite/probable stent thrombosis in BIF patients from 2-4 years. The 4-year rates of composite cardiac death and MI were 13.5% for BIF vs. 14.1% for non-BIF (P = 0.78). At 4 years, target lesion failure (19.1% vs. 18.3%, P = 0.66) and ischemia driven-target lesion revascularization (10.2% vs. 10.1%, P = 0.89) were comparable between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: This subgroup analysis of BIF lesions in a real world population receiving EES demonstrates continued low rates of clinical outcomes in the BIF subgroup at 4 years with no incremental stent thrombosis increase in BIF patients from 2 to 4 years. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

One-year clinical outcomes of patients treated with everolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffolds versus everolimus-eluting metallic stents: a propensity score comparison of patients enrolled in the ABSORB EXTEND and SPIRIT trials

We sought to compare the outcomes of low/moderate complexity patients treated with the Absorb BVS from the ABSORB EXTEND trial with patients treated with the XIENCE everolimus-eluting stent (EES), using propensity score (PS) matching of pooled data from the SPIRIT trials (SPIRIT II, SPIRIT III, SPIRIT IV) and the XIENCE V USA trial...

Stent Thrombosis and Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Interruption With Everolimus-Eluting Stents: Insights From the Xience V Coronary Stent System Trials.

BACKGROUND: Whether premature dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) interruption is safe in patients receiving cobalt chromium everolimus-eluting stents remains controversial. We sought to examine the relationship between DAPT discontinuation and stent thrombosis (ST) after cobalt chromium everolimus-eluting stents. METHODS AND RESULTS: Outcomes from 11,219 patients were pooled from 3 randomized trials and 4 registries with 2-year follow-up period after cobalt chromium everolimus-eluting stent implantation. Rates of definite/probable ST were analyzed according to DAPT discontinuation in the following time intervals: 0 to 30, 30 to 90, 90 to 180, 180 to 365, and 365 to 730 days. Eighty-five cases of ST (0.75%) occurred in 83 patients during 2 years, with 41 (48.2%) events occurring within 30 days. The 2-year ST rate in patients interrupting DAPT at any time was similar to that in patients never interrupting DAPT through 2 years (25/4067 [0.63%] versus 58/7152 [0.83%] respectively; P=0.27]. By propensity and DAPT usage-adjusted multivariable analysis, permanent DAPT discontinuation before 30 days was independently associated with the occurrence of ST (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], 26.8 [8.4-85.4]; P<0.0001), whereas permanent DAPT discontinuation in any interval after 90 days was not associated with ST. Only 2 ST events occurred after DAPT discontinuation between 30 and 90 days (both between 30 and 60 days), and the association between permanent DAPT discontinuation and ST during this period is unclear (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], 8.7 [2.0-37.3]; P=0.004 for adjusted analysis and 3.4 [0.8-13.8]; P=0.07 for the unadjusted analysis). CONCLUSIONS: In this large pooled experience, permanent DAPT discontinuation before 30 days after cobalt chromium everolimus-eluting stent implantation was strongly associated with ST, whereas DAPT discontinuation beyond 90 days appeared safe. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00180310, NCT00180479, NCT00307047, NCT00402272, NCT00496938, NCT00676520, and NCT00631228.

The ABSORB EXTEND study: preliminary report of the twelve-month clinical outcomes in the first 512 patients enrolled.

AIMS: The safety and performance of the Absorb Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (Absorb BVS) system (Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, CA, USA) has been previously established in 131 patients from cohort A and cohort B of the first-in-man ABSORB trial. Following this trial, ABSORB EXTEND was initiated as a global continued access study (outside of the USA) to expand experience with the Absorb BVS system to different geographies with broader inclusion criteria to include the treatment of longer lesions and multiple vessels. We report in this manuscript the twelve-month clinical outcomes of the first 512 patients in this population. METHODS AND RESULTS: ABSORB EXTEND is a prospective, single-arm, open-label clinical study which will enrol up to 800 patients at up to 100 sites. Included are patients with lesions ≤28 mm in length and reference vessel diameter of 2.0-3.8 mm (as assessed by on-line QCA or IVUS). Treatment of a maximum of two de novo native coronary artery lesions is permitted when each lesion is located in a different epicardial vessel. An independent clinical events committee adjudicates all endpoint-related events. At one year, for the first 512 patients enrolled in the study, the composite endpoints of ischaemia-driven MACE and ischaemia-driven target vessel failure were 4.3% and 4.9%, respectively. The cumulative rate of ARC defined definite and probable scaffold thrombosis for this population was 0.8% at one year. CONCLUSIONS: This interim analysis of the ABSORB EXTEND study shows low rates of MACE and scaffold thrombosis. The study is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (unique identifier NCT01023789).

The ABSORB EXTEND study: preliminary report of the twelve-month clinical outcomes in the first 512 patients enrolled

Aims: The safety and performance of the Absorb Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold (Absorb BVS) system(Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, CA, USA) has been previously established in 131 patients from cohort A andcohort B of the first-in-man ABSORB trial. Following this trial, ABSORB EXTEND was initiated as a globalcontinued access study (outside of the USA) to expand experience with the Absorb BVS system to differentgeographies with broader inclusion criteria to include the treatment of longer lesions and multiple vessels.We report in this manuscript the twelve-month clinical outcomes of the first 512 patients in this population.Methods and results: ABSORB EXTEND is a prospective, single-arm, open-label clinical study whichwill enrol up to 800 patients at up to 100 sites. Included are patients with lesions ≤28 mm in length and referencevessel diameter of 2.0-3.8 mm (as assessed by on-line QCA or IVUS). Treatment of a maximum oftwo de novo native coronary artery lesions is permitted when each lesion is located in a different epicardialvessel. An independent clinical events committee adjudicates all endpoint-related events. At one year, for thefirst 512 patients enrolled in the study, the composite endpoints of ischaemia-driven MACE and ischaemiadriventarget vessel failure were 4.3% and 4.9%, respectively. The cumulative rate of ARC defined definiteand probable scaffold thrombosis for this population was 0.8% at one year.Conclusions: This interim analysis of the ABSORB EXTEND study shows low rates of MACE and scaffoldthrombosis. The study is registered on clinicaltrials.gov (unique identifier NCT01023789).

Three-year data from the XIENCE V INDIA study: safety and efficacy of XIENCE V in 1000 real world Indian patients.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease in Asia has reached epidemic proportions in recent years. Use of drug eluting stents in Asians has rapidly expanded with varying penetration rates across different countries. The XIENCE V INDIA Study included 'real world' patients who underwent XIENCE V stent implantation to assess short and intermediate term outcomes in Indian patients with diverse risk factors. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate 3-year clinical outcomes in a cohort of 'real world' Indian patients with CAD being treated with XIENCE V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System. METHODS: 1000 patients were enrolled from 18 sites in India between June 2008 and March 2009. Patients were included if their index procedures were completed using only XIENCE V. There were no clinical or angiographic exclusions. An independent Clinical Events Committee adjudicated all endpoint-related events. The primary endpoint was stent thrombosis rate annually through to 3 years as defined by the Academic Research Consortium criteria. The co-primary endpoint was the composite rate of cardiac death and myocardial infarction at 1 year. RESULTS: At 1-year the primary endpoint of definite/probable stent thrombosis rate was 0.51%. No additional very late stent thrombosis was reported through a 3-year follow up. The composite endpoint of cardiac death and any myocardial infarction was 1.9%, 2.7% and 3.1% at 1, 2 and 3 years respectively. CONCLUSION: Despite the high risk population of coronary artery disease, the use of XIENCE V in 'real world' Indian patients was associated with very low clinical event rates upto three years of follow up.

5-year results of a randomized comparison of XIENCE V everolimus-eluting and TAXUS paclitaxel-eluting stents: final results from the SPIRIT III trial (clinical evaluation of the XIENCE V everolimus eluting coronary stent system in the treatment of patients with de novo native coronary artery lesions).

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to evaluate the long-term safety and efficacy of everolimus-eluting stents (EES) and paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) in patients with obstructive coronary artery disease. BACKGROUND: The use of EES compared to PES has been shown to result in improved clinical outcomes in patients undergoing PCI. However, there have been concerns regarding the durability of these benefits over longer-term follow-up. METHODS: SPIRIT III was a prospective, multicenter trial in which 1,002 patients were randomized 2:1 to EES versus PES. Endpoints included ischemia-driven target vessel failure (TVF) (death, myocardial infarction (MI), or ischemia-driven target vessel revascularization [TVR]), the pre-specified primary endpoint), target lesion failure (TLF) (cardiac death, target-vessel MI, or ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization [TLR]), major adverse cardiac events (MACE) (cardiac death, MI, or ischemia-driven TLR), their individual components and stent thrombosis. RESULTS: Five-year follow-up was available in 91.9% of patients. Treatment with EES versus PES resulted in lower 5-year Kaplan-Meier rates of TVF (19.3% vs. 24.5%, p = 0.05), TLF (12.7% vs. 19.0%, p = 0.008), and MACE (13.2% vs. 20.7%, p = 0.007). EES also resulted in reduced rates of all-cause death (5.9% vs. 10.1%, p = 0.02), with nonsignificantly different rates of MI, stent thrombosis, and TLR, and no evidence of late catch-up of TLR over time. CONCLUSIONS: At 5 years after treatment, EES compared to PES resulted in durable benefits in composite safety and efficacy measures as well as all-cause mortality. Additionally, the absolute difference in TLR between devices remained stable over time without deterioration of effect during late follow-up.

Meta-analysis of everolimus-eluting versus paclitaxel-eluting stents in coronary artery disease: final 3-year results of the SPIRIT clinical trials program (Clinical Evaluation of the Xience V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System in the Treatment of Patients With De Novo Native Coronary Artery Lesions).

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to investigate whether the everolimus-eluting stent (EES) is superior to the paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES) with respect to long-term individual clinical outcomes. BACKGROUND: Individual studies have indicated a clinical advantage of coronary EES compared with PES with respect to restenosis and the composite endpoint of major adverse cardiac events. However, these trials were not powered for superiority in low-frequency event rates and have reported limited data beyond 1-year follow-up. METHODS: We conducted a meta-analysis of the final 3-year results from the international SPIRIT (Clinical Evaluation of the Xience V Everolimus Eluting Coronary Stent System in the Treatment of Patients With De Novo Native Coronary Artery Lesions) II, III, and IV clinical trials. Individual patient data from 4,989 patients who were prospectively randomized to treatment with EES (n = 3,350) or PES (n = 1,639) were pooled for analysis. RESULTS: At 3-year follow-up, EES was superior to PES in reducing the following event rates: target lesion failure (8.9% vs. 12.5%, hazard ratio [HR]: 0.71, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.59 to 0.85; p = 0.0002), all-cause mortality (3.2% vs 5.1%, HR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.49 to 0.86; p = 0.003), myocardial infarction (3.2% vs. 5.1%, HR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.48 to 0.85; p = 0.002), cardiac death or myocardial infarction (4.4% vs. 6.3%, HR: 0.70, 95% CI: 0.54 to 0.90; p = 0.005), ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization (6.0% vs. 8.2%, HR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.58 to 0.90; p = 0.004), stent thrombosis (0.7% vs. 1.7%, HR: 0.45, 95% CI: 0.26 to 0.78; p = 0.003), and major adverse cardiac events (9.4% vs. 13.0%, HR: 0.71, 95% CI: 0.60 to 0.85; p = 0.0002). No interaction was present between stent type and the 3-year relative rates of target lesion failure across a broad range of subgroups, with the exception of diabetes and vessel (left anterior descending vs. other). CONCLUSIONS: In this large dataset with 3-year follow-up, coronary implantation of EES compared with PES resulted in reduced rates of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization, stent thrombosis, and target lesion failure. Further research is warranted to characterize possible interactions between stent type, diabetes, and vessel.

Risk factors for coronary drug-eluting stent thrombosis: influence of procedural, patient, lesion, and stent related factors and dual antiplatelet therapy.

The complication of stent thrombosis (ST) emerged at a rate of 0.5% annually for first-generation drug-eluting stents (DES), often presenting as death or myocardial infarction. Procedural factors such as stent underexpansion and malapposition are risk factors for ST in patients. The type of lesion being treated and lesion morphology also influence healing after treatment with DES and can contribute to ST. Second-generation DES such as the XIENCE V everolimus-eluting stent differ from the first-generation stents with respect to antiproliferative agents, coating technologies, and stent frame. Improvements in stent structure have resulted in a more complete endothelialization, thereby decreasing the incidence of ST. Bioresorbable scaffolds show promise for restoring vasomotor function and minimizing rates of very late ST. Post-PCI treatment with aspirin and clopidogrel for a year is currently the standard of care for DES, but high-risk patients may benefit from more potent antiplatelet agents. The optimal duration of DAPT for DES is currently unclear and will be addressed in large-scale randomized clinical trials.

Incidence, time course and predictors of early vs. late target lesion revascularisation after everolimus-eluting stent implantation: a SPIRIT V substudy.

AIMS: To evaluate the incidence, time course and predictors of late target lesion revascularisation (TLR) (between one and two years) as compared to early TLR (<1 year) following everolimus-eluting stent implantation in patients enrolled in the SPIRIT V study. METHODS AND RESULTS: The SPIRIT V single-arm study enrolled a total of 2,700 patients (n=2,663 intent-to-treat) with de novo coronary artery lesions undergoing EES implantation. Patients were evaluated at 30 days, one year and two years following the index procedure. All patients who had a clinically driven TLR (not associated with stent thrombosis) were allocated to either the early or the late group. Clinical, angiographic and procedural data were recorded and predictors of early vs. late TLR were assessed by logistic regression analysis. There were no significant differences in baseline demographics and risk factors between the two groups with the exception that patients in the late TLR group were significantly older (68.5 ± 8.5 years vs. 63.5 ± 8.9 years, p=0.022). At two years, only 2.7% (70/2,562) experienced a TLR unrelated to a stent thrombosis event with 1.6% (43/2,627) occurring within one year of the index procedure and 1.1% (27/2,562) occurring between one and two years. There were no differences between the groups in terms of clinical outcomes. Age ≥70 years was the only variable which independently predicted late TLR (OR=4.80 [1.69-13.63], p=0.0032). CONCLUSIONS: In this large registry without angiographic follow-up, early (<1 year) and late (>1 year) TLR rates were exceedingly low and thereby confirm the previous findings of randomised controlled studies. Age (>70 years) emerged as the only predictor of late TLR.