Polymer-free Biolimus-A9 coated thin strut stents for patients at high bleeding risk 1-year results from the LEADERS FREE III study.

BACKGROUND: In patients at high bleeding risk (HBR), the LEADERS FREE (LF) trial established the safety and efficacy of a polymer-free drug coated (Biolimus-A9) stainless steel stent (SS-DCS) with 30 days of dual antiplatelet treatment (DAPT). In LEADERS FREE III, we studied a new cobalt-chromium thin-strut stent (CoCr-DCS) in HBR patients. METHODS: The CoCr-DCS shares all of the design features of the SS-DCS but has a CoCr stent platform with strut thickness of 84-88 µm. The primary safety endpoint was a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), and definite/probable stent thrombosis. The primary efficacy endpoint was clinically indicated target lesion revascularization. Outcomes were compared to those of LF (non-inferiority to SS-DCS for safety and superiority to SS-BMS for efficacy). Additional propensity-matched comparisons were performed to account for baseline differences. RESULTS: We recruited 401 HBR patients using identical criteria to the LF trial. At 1 year, the primary safety endpoint was reached by 31/401 (8.0%) of patients treated with the CoCr-DCS versus 35/401 (8.9%) for the propensity-matched cohort (HR: 0.89, [0.55-1.44], p < 0.001 for non-inferiority, 0.62 for superiority). The efficacy endpoint was reached by 16/401 (4.2%) of CoCr-DCS patients versus 41/401 (10.6%) in the propensity-matched cohort (HR: 0.4 [0.2:0.7]) (p = 0.007 for superiority). There was no statistical difference between CoCr-DCS and SS-DCS in terms of efficacy (HR: 1.46 [0.68-3.15], p = 0.33). CONCLUSIONS: The new thin-strut CoCr-DCS proved non-inferior to the SS-DCS for safety, and superior to the BMS for efficacy in HBR patients treated with 30 days of DAPT.

Thin- versus thick-strut polymer-free biolimus-eluting stents: the BioFreedom QCA randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: The BioFreedom drug-coated stent with a stainless steel platform (BF-SS) has been demonstrated to be efficacious in patients at high bleeding risk and receiv-ing only one-month dual antiplatelet therapy. AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the new BioFreedom Ultra drug-coated stent with a thin-strut cobalt-chromium platform (BF-CoCr) compared to the BF-SS in an all-comers population undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS: This was a prospective, multicentre, non-inferiority trial. The primary endpoint was in-stent late lumen loss (LLL) as determined by quantitative coronary angiography at nine-month follow-up. Clinical evaluation was performed at one year. RESULTS: A total of 200 patients were randomised (1:1) to either the BF-CoCr or the BF-SS stent at eight centres in Spain and Denmark. Baseline clinical and lesion characteristics were similar between the groups. Mean age was 66 years and 23% were female. The mean number of stents implanted per patient was 1.5. At nine-month follow-up, mean in-stent LLL was 0.34±0.49 mm in the BF-CoCr group versus 0.29±0.37 mm in the BF-SS group, p=0.005 for non-inferiority. At one year, target lesion failure was similar between the groups (7.3% in BF-CoCr vs 9.3% in the BF-SS group; p=0.60). CONCLUSIONS: The BF-CoCr was non-inferior to the BF-SS in terms of in-stent LLL at nine months. Larger studies powered for clinical endpoints are warranted to compare the efficacy of this new platform with currently available DES.

Polymer-free drug-coated vs. bare-metal coronary stents in patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery: a subgroup analysis of the LEADERS FREE trial.

AIMS: To compare the outcomes of patients undergoing non-cardiac surgery (NCS) after PCI with either a drug-coated stent (DCS) or a bare-metal stent (BMS), followed by 1-month dual antiplatelet therapy and to explore the impact of the timing of NCS. METHODS: This is a subgroup analysis of the LEADERS FREE trial. The primary safety end point was a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or stent thrombosis, and the primary efficacy end point was clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR). RESULTS: Out of 2432 patients included in the LEADERS FREE trial, 278 (11.4%) underwent NCS within 1 year after PCI. Among NCS patients, the 1-year safety end point was numerically lower with DCS; however, this difference was not significant as compared to BMS (4.7% vs. 10.1%, HR: 0.459 [0.178-1.183], p = 0.099), clinically driven TLR was significantly lower after DCS (2.4% vs. 8.3%, HR: 0.281 [0.079-0.996], p = 0.036), and BARC 3-5 bleeding was similar with DCS vs. BMS (10.2% vs. 7.5%, p = 0.438). In patients treated with BMS, NCS within 3 months after PCI was associated with higher incidence of the safety end point than NCSs performed later: 14.9% vs. 4.4%, HR: 3.586 [1.012-12.709], p = 0.034. The timing of surgery had no impact on patients treated with DCS (4.7% vs. 4.7%, p = 0.947). CONCLUSIONS: Among patients undergoing NCS after PCI, DCS-treated patients had a lower probability of clinically driven TLR compared with BMS. However, there was no significant difference in the occurrence of the primary composite safety end point or bleeding complications. Early NCS after BMS-PCI was associated with impaired safety, while the timing of NCS had no such influence after DCS implantation.

Drug-coated stents versus bare metal stents in Academic Research Consortium-defined high bleeding risk patients.

BACKGROUND: More effective and progressively safer generations of drug-elut-ing stents (DES) have replaced bare metal stents (BMS) in rou-tine clinical practice. However, patients considered to be at high bleeding risk (HBR) have traditionally been underrepresented in pivotal DES trials. AIMS: The aim of this study was to model the safety and effectiveness of drug-coated stents (DCS) versus BMS in HBR patients according to the Academic Research Consortium (ARC) criteria. METHODS: Participants from the LEADERS FREE (LF) and LEADERS FREE II (LFII) studies were pooled into one data set. Participants were treated with 30 days of DAPT. The primary safety (composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or stent thrombosis) and effectiveness (target lesion revascularisation) endpoints were compared between DCS and BMS in the subgroup of patients satisfying the ARC-HBR definition using propensity-score modelling. RESULTS: From the 3,635 participants included in the combined LF and LFII data set, 2,898 (79.7%) satisfied the ARC-HBR criteria (DCS: 1,923; BMS: 975). The primary safety endpoint occurred in 184 (9.8%) and in 132 (13.8%) participants in the DCS and BMS groups, respectively (adjusted HR 0.72, 95% CI: 0.57-0.91; p=0.006). The risk of the primary effectiveness endpoint was also significantly lower with DCS (6.2%) versus BMS (8.8%) (adjusted HR 0.70, 95% CI: 0.52-0.94; p=0.016). The safety and effectiveness of DCS versus BMS were consistent according to ARC-HBR status (p for interaction=0.206 and 0.260, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: DCS are safer and more effective than BMS in an ARC-defined HBR population.

Impacto del acceso vascular en el pronóstico tras la angioplastia coronaria en pacientes con alto riesgo hemorrágico: subanálisis predefinido del estudio LEADERS FREE / Impact of vascular access on outcome after PCI in patients at high bleeding risk: a pre-specified sub-analysis of the LEADERS FREE trial

INTRODUCCIÓN Y OBJETIVOS: El objetivo es evaluar el impacto del acceso vascular en las complicaciones hemorrágicas tras una intervención coronaria percutánea en pacientes con alto riesgo de sangrado (ARS) a los 30 días y a los 2 años. MÉTODOS: El presente estudio es un subanálisis predefinido del estudio LEADERS FREE, que incluyó a 2.432 pacientes con ARS y en el que el stent farmacoactivo Biolimus A9 resultó superior al stent convencional en seguridad y eficacia. RESULTADOS: El acceso radial (AR) se utilizó en 1.454 pacientes (59,8%) y el femoral (AF), en 978 (40,2%), ambos a elección del operador. La seguridad y los beneficios del stent farmacoactivo sobre el convencional fueron independientes del acceso vascular. A los 30 días y a los 2 años, habían sufrido un sangrado mayor el 2,4 y el 7,5% de los pacientes con AR y el 4,6 y el 10,9% de los pacientes con AF (p = 0,003), la mayoría en ambos grupos (el 2,1 y el 7,0% del de AR; el 3,2 y el 9,4% del de AF) no relacionados con el sitio de acceso vascular. El AR se asoció con una reducción significativa en las tasas ajustadas de sangrado mayor tanto a 30 días (HR=1,98; IC95%, 1,25-3,11; p = 0,003) como a 2 años de seguimiento (HR=1,51; IC95%, 1,14-2,01; p = 0,003). CONCLUSIONES: Los operadores prefirieron el AR en la mayoría de los pacientes con ARS, lo cual se asoció con una reducción significativa del sangrado mayor. Asimismo, un número significativo de sangrados en el seguimiento de esta población son no relacionados con el acceso vascular

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The prognostic impact of bleeding in high bleeding risk (HBR) patients depending on the location of bleeding and prognosis in nonaccess site bleeding is unknown. We aimed to assess the impact of vascular access site on bleeding complications after percutaneous coronary interventions for HBR patients at 30-day and 2-year follow-up. METHODS: The LEADERS FREE trial included 2432 HBR PCI patients. A Biolimus A9 drug-coated stent was superior to a bare-metal stent for safety and efficacy. This is a predefined sub-analysis of the LEADERS FREE trial. RESULTS: Transradial access (TRA) was used in 1454 patients (59.8%) and transfemoral access (TFA) in 978 (40.2%), according to operator preference. The safety and benefits of drug-coated stents over bare-metal stents were independent of vascular access. At 30 days and 2 years, major bleeding had occurred in 2.4% and 7.5% of TRA patients and 4.6% and 10.9% of TFA patients (P=.003), respectively. Most of these events in both groups (2.1% and 7.0% for TRA; 3.2% and 9.4% for TFA, respectively) were nonaccess site-related. TRA was associated with a significant reduction in adjusted rates of major bleeding both at 30 days (HR, 1.98; 95%CI, 1.25-3.11; P=.003) and at 2 years of follow-up (HR, 1.51; 95%CI, 1.14-2.01; P=.003). This difference was driven by both access and nonaccess bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Operators preferred TRA for most HBR patients, which was associated with a significant reduction in major bleeding events. However, most of these events in this population are unrelated to vascular access

Sex-Based Outcomes in Patients With a High Bleeding Risk After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention and 1-Month Dual Antiplatelet Therapy: A Secondary Analysis of the LEADERS FREE Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Female sex has been identified as a risk factor for bleeding after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and may have contributed to the underuse of drug-eluting stents in women. This risk may be further enhanced among patients with a high bleeding risk. Objective: To assess the 2-year outcomes by sex in patients with a high bleeding risk who were enrolled in the LEADERS FREE trial. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study is a prespecified, sex-based secondary analysis of the LEADERS FREE double-blind, randomized clinical trial that was conducted at 68 sites in 20 countries from December 2012 to May 2014. Patients with a high bleeding risk who underwent PCI and met the trial eligibility criteria were enrolled at the participating sites and followed up for up to 2 years. Interventions: Patients were randomized 1:1 to either a bare-metal stent or a polymer-free, biolimus A9-eluting drug-coated stent with 1-month of dual antiplatelet therapy. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary safety end point was a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or stent thrombosis. The primary efficacy end point was clinically driven target lesion revascularization. Bleeding was assessed using the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) scale, and the source of bleeding was recorded. Results: A total of 2432 patients with a high bleeding risk were included in the study. Of these patients, the mean (SD) age was 75 (9) years, and 1694 (69.7%) were men and 738 (30.3%) were women. Women and men had similar incidence of the 2-year primary safety (14.7% vs 13.6%; P = .37) and efficacy (9.2% vs 9.5%; P = .70) end points. The drug-coated stent was found to be superior to the bare-metal stent in both sexes, with lower target lesion revascularization (women: 6.3% vs 12.1%; men: 7.0% vs 12.0%; P for interaction = .70) and similar rates of the primary safety end point (women: 12.4% vs 17.0%; men: 12.6% vs 14.5%; P for interaction = .40). Overall, 2-year BARC types 3 to 5 major bleeding (10.2% vs 8.6%; P = .14) was not statistically different between the sexes, but women experienced greater BARC types 3 to 5 major bleeding within the first 30 days (5.1% vs 2.4%; P = .007) and greater vascular access site major bleeding than men (2.2% vs 0.5%; P < .001). In both sexes, vascular (women: hazard ratio [HR], 3.45 [95% CI, 1.51-7.87]; men: HR, 4.14 [95% CI, 1.33-12.95]) and nonvascular major bleeding (women: HR, 3.76 [95% CI, 2.17- 6.53]; men: HR, 4.62 [95% CI, 3.23-6.61]) were associated with greater 2-year mortality. Conclusions and Relevance: This study found no sex differences in the ischemic outcomes of patients with a high bleeding risk after PCI, but women appeared to demonstrate greater early bleeding and major bleeding from the vascular access site. Both women and men with major bleeding seemed to experience worse 2-year mortality, suggesting that bleeding avoidance strategies should be uniformly adopted for all patients, with close attention dedicated to women to avoid denying them the benefits of PCI. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02843633.

Global Approach to High Bleeding Risk Patients With Polymer-Free Drug-Coated Coronary Stents: The LF II Study.

BACKGROUND: High bleeding risk (HBR) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention have been widely excluded from randomized device registration trials. The LF study (LEADERS FREE) reported superior outcomes of HBR patients receiving 30-day dual antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention with a polymer-free drug-coated stent (DCS). LFII was designed to assess the reproducibility and generalizability of the benefits of DCS observed in LF to inform the US Food and Drug Administration in a device registration decision. METHODS: LFII was a single-arm study using HBR inclusion/exclusion criteria and 30-day dual antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention with DCS, identical to LF. The 365-day rates of the primary effectiveness (clinically indicated target lesion revascularization) and safety (composite cardiac death and myocardial infarction) end points were reported using a propensity-stratified analysis compared with the LF bare metal stent arm patients as controls. RESULTS: A total of 1203 LFII patients were enrolled with an average 1.7 HBR criteria per patient, including 60.7% >75 years of age, 34.1% on anticoagulants, and 14.7% with renal failure. Propensity-adjusted 365-day clinically indicated target lesion revascularization was significantly lower with DCS (7.2% versus 9.2%; hazard ratio, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.52-0.98]; P=0.0338 for superiority), as was the primary safety (cardiac death and myocardial infarction) composite (9.3% versus 12.4%; hazard ratio, 0.72 [95% CI, 0.55-0.94]; P=0.0150 for superiority). Stent thrombosis rates were 2.0% DCS and 2.2% bare metal stent. Major bleeding at 1 year occurred in 7.2% DCS patients and 7.2% bare metal stent. CONCLUSIONS: LFII reproduces the results of the DCS arm of LF in an independent, predominantly North American cohort of HBR patients.

First clinical evidence characterizing safety and efficacy of the new CoCr Biolimus-A9 eluting stent: The Biomatrix Alpha™ registry.

BACKGROUND: The biolimus-eluting stent (BES) was the first to elute anti-proliferative drug from a biodegradable polymer. In the randomized LEADERS trial, a stainless steel BES showed non-inferior efficacy compared to a sirolimus-eluting stent and a long-term safety advantage. We report the first clinical efficacy and safety outcomes of a new thin-strut cobalt chromium biolimus-eluting stent (CoCr-BES) from an international multi-centre registry. METHODS: We studied 400 all-comer patients with coronary disease receiving CoCr-BES at 12 centres, with follow-up at 9 months and 2 years. The primary endpoint was incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) at 9 months comprising cardiac death, myocardial infarction (MI), and clinically indicated target vessel revascularization (ci-TVR). Key protocol elements were the same as the randomized LEADERS trial to enable a historical control for propensity-matched comparison. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 65 ± 11 years, 19% had diabetes, and 55% presented with unstable angina or MI. On discharge, 96% of patients were on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and 69% were on DAPT at 9 months. MACE at 9 months occurred in 3.9% of patients, cardiac death in 0.8%, MI in 1.1% and ci-TVR in 2.7%. One patient (0.25%) experienced definite or probable stent thrombosis (ST). A propensity-adjusted comparison showed similar clinical outcomes to the BES arm in the LEADERS trial for the primary endpoint MACE. CONCLUSIONS: The new CoCr-BES showed low rates of MACE, MI, ci-TVR and ST at 9 months, similar to the BES arm in LEADERS.

Clinical relevance of ticagrelor monotherapy following 1-month dual antiplatelet therapy after bifurcation percutaneous coronary intervention: Insight from GLOBAL LEADERS trial.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of ticagrelor monotherapy following 1-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for bifurcation lesions. METHODS: GLOBAL LEADERS was a randomized, superiority, all-comers trial comparing 1-month DAPT with ticagrelor and aspirin followed by 23-month ticagrelor monotherapy (experimental treatment) with standard 12-month DAPT followed by 12-month aspirin monotherapy (reference treatment) in patients treated with a biolimus A9-eluting stent. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause death or new Q-wave myocardial infarction (MI) at 2 years. RESULTS: Among the 15,845 patients included in this subgroup analysis, 2,498 patients (15.8%) underwent PCI for at least one bifurcation lesion. The incidence of the primary endpoint was similar between the bifurcation and nonbifurcation groups (4.7 vs. 4.0%, p = .083). The experimental treatment had no significant effect on the primary endpoint according to the presence/absence of a bifurcation lesion (bifurcation: hazard ratio [HR]: 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.51-1.07; nonbifurcation: HR: 0.90, 95% CI: 0.76-1.07, p for interaction = .343), but was associated with significant reduction in definite or probable stent thrombosis (p for interaction = .022) and significant excess of stroke (p for interaction = .018) when compared with the reference treatment. CONCLUSIONS: After PCI for bifurcation lesions using 1-month of DAPT followed by ticagrelor monotherapy for 23 months did not demonstrate explicit benefit regarding all-cause death or new Q-wave MI as in the overall trial.

Impact of ticagrelor monotherapy on two-year clinical outcomes in patients with long stenting: a post hoc analysis of the GLOBAL LEADERS trial.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a novel antiplatelet regimen in patients with increasing total stent length (TSL). METHODS AND RESULTS: This is a post hoc analysis of the GLOBAL LEADERS trial, a prospective, multicentre, open-label, randomised trial, investigating the impact of the experimental strategy (one-month dual antiplatelet therapy [DAPT] followed by 23-month ticagrelor monotherapy) versus the reference regimen (12-month DAPT followed by 12-month aspirin monotherapy) in patients with a Biolimus A9-eluting stent (BES). The primary endpoint was the composite of all-cause death and new Q-wave myocardial infarction (MI), and the secondary endpoint was Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 3 or 5 bleeding at two years. To investigate the association between total stent length and outcomes, groups were compared in quartiles according to TSL; the fourth quartile group was at significantly higher ischaemic risk at two years. In that stratum (TSL ≥46 mm), the experimental strategy significantly reduced the risk of the primary endpoint (hazard ratio [HR] 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.49-0.90; pinteraction=0.043), while demonstrating a similar risk of BARC type 3 or 5 bleeding (HR 0.99, 95% CI: 0.66-1.49; pinteraction=0.975). CONCLUSIONS: Ticagrelor monotherapy could potentially balance ischaemic and bleeding risks, thereby achieving a net clinical benefit in patients with a TSL ≥46 mm with a BES.

Impact of vascular access on outcome after PCI in patients at high bleeding risk: a pre-specified sub-analysis of the LEADERS FREE trial.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The prognostic impact of bleeding in high bleeding risk (HBR) patients depending on the location of bleeding and prognosis in nonaccess site bleeding is unknown. We aimed to assess the impact of vascular access site on bleeding complications after percutaneous coronary interventions for HBR patients at 30-day and 2-year follow-up. METHODS: The LEADERS FREE trial included 2432 HBR PCI patients. A Biolimus A9 drug-coated stent was superior to a bare-metal stent for safety and efficacy. This is a predefined sub-analysis of the LEADERS FREE trial. RESULTS: Transradial access (TRA) was used in 1454 patients (59.8%) and transfemoral access (TFA) in 978 (40.2%), according to operator preference. The safety and benefits of drug-coated stents over bare-metal stents were independent of vascular access. At 30 days and 2 years, major bleeding had occurred in 2.4% and 7.5% of TRA patients and 4.6% and 10.9% of TFA patients (P=.003), respectively. Most of these events in both groups (2.1% and 7.0% for TRA; 3.2% and 9.4% for TFA, respectively) were nonaccess site-related. TRA was associated with a significant reduction in adjusted rates of major bleeding both at 30 days (HR, 1.98; 95%CI, 1.25-3.11; P=.003) and at 2 years of follow-up (HR, 1.51; 95%CI, 1.14-2.01; P=.003). This difference was driven by both access and nonaccess bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Operators preferred TRA for most HBR patients, which was associated with a significant reduction in major bleeding events. However, most of these events in this population are unrelated to vascular access.

Efficacy and Safety of Stents in ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction.

BACKGROUND: To date, no specific drug-eluting stent (DES) has fully proven its superiority over others in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of coronary artery stents in STEMI patients in a patient-level network meta-analysis. METHODS: Eligible studies were dedicated randomized controlled trials comparing different stents in STEMI patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with at least 12 months of clinical follow-up. Of 19 studies identified from the published data, individual patient data were collected in 15 studies with 10,979 patients representing 87.7% of patients in the overall network of evidence. The primary endpoint was the composite of cardiac death, reinfarction, or target lesion revascularization. RESULTS: Overall, 8,487 (77.3%) of 10,979 STEMI patients were male and the mean age was 60.7 years. At a median follow-up of 3 years, compared with bare-metal stents (BMS), patients treated with paclitaxel-, sirolimus-, everolimus-, or biolimus-eluting stents had a significantly lower risk of the primary endpoint (adjusted hazard ratios [HRs]: 0.74 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.63 to 0.88], 0.65 [95% CI: 0.49 to 0.85], 0.70 [95% CI: 0.53 to 0.91], and 0.66 [95% CI: 0.49 to 0.88], respectively). The risk of primary endpoint was not different between patients treated with BMS and zotarolimus-eluting stents (adjusted HR: 0.83 [95% CI: 0.51 to 1.38]). Among patients treated with DES, no significant difference in the risk of the primary outcome was demonstrated. Treatment with second-generation DES was associated with significantly lower risk of definite or probable stent thrombosis compared with BMS (adjusted HR: 0.61 [95% CI: 0.42 to 0.89]) and first-generation DES (adjusted HR: 0.56 [95% CI: 0.36 to 0.88]). CONCLUSIONS: In STEMI patients, DES were superior to BMS with respect to long-term efficacy. No difference in long-term efficacy and safety was observed among specific DES. Second-generation were superior to first-generation DES in reducing stent thrombosis. (Clinical Outcomes After Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention [PCI] Using Contemporary Drug-Eluting Stent [DES]: Evidence From the Individual Patient Data Network Meta-Analysis; CRD42018104053).

Efficacy and Safety of Ticagrelor Monotherapy in Patients Undergoing Multivessel PCI.

BACKGROUND: Data on optimal antiplatelet treatment regimens in patients who undergo multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are sparse. OBJECTIVES: This post hoc study investigated the impact of an experimental strategy (1-month dual antiplatelet therapy [DAPT] followed by 23-month ticagrelor monotherapy) versus a reference regimen (12-month DAPT followed by 12-month aspirin monotherapy) according to multivessel PCI. METHODS: The GLOBAL LEADERS trial is a prospective, multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial, allocating all-comer patients in a 1:1 ratio to either the experimental strategy or the reference regimen. The primary endpoint was the composite of all-cause death or new Q-wave myocardial infarction at 2 years. The secondary safety endpoint was Bleeding Academic Research Consortium type 3 or 5 bleeding. RESULTS: Among the overall study population (n=15,845), 3,576 patients (22.4%) having multivessel PCI experienced a significantly higher risk of ischemic and bleeding events at 2 years, compared to those having single-vessel PCI. There was an interaction between the experimental strategy and multivessel PCI on the primary endpoint (hazard ratio: 0.62; 95% confidence interval: 0.44 to 0.88; pinteraction = 0.031). This difference was largely driven by a lower risk of all-cause mortality. In contrast, the risk of Bleeding Academic Research Consortium type 3 or 5 bleeding was statistically similar between the 2 regimens (hazard ratio: 0.92; 95% confidence interval: 0.61 to 1.39; pinteraction = 0.754). CONCLUSIONS: Long-term ticagrelor monotherapy following 1-month DAPT can favorably balance ischemic and bleeding risks in patients with multivessel PCI. These findings should be interpreted as hypothesis-generating and need to be replicated in future dedicated randomized trials. (GLOBAL LEADERS: A Clinical Study Comparing Two Forms of Anti-platelet Therapy After Stent Implantation; NCT01813435).

Impact of vascular access on outcome after PCI in patients at high bleeding risk: a pre-specified sub-analysis of the LEADERS FREE trial

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES: The prognostic impact of bleeding in high bleeding risk (HBR) patients depending on the location of bleeding and prognosis in nonaccess site bleeding is unknown. We aimed to assess the impact of vascular access site on bleeding complications after percutaneous coronary interventions for HBR patients at 30-day and 2-year follow-up. METHODS: The LEADERS FREE trial included 2432 HBR PCI patients. A Biolimus A9 drug-coated stent was superior to a bare-metal stent for safety and efficacy. This is a predefined sub-analysis of the LEADERS FREE trial. RESULTS: Transradial access (TRA) was used in 1454 patients (59.8%) and transfemoral access (TFA) in 978 (40.2%), according to operator preference. The safety and benefits of drug-coated stents over bare-metal stents were independent of vascular access. At 30 days and 2 years, major bleeding had occurred in 2.4% and 7.5% of TRA patients and 4.6% and 10.9% of TFA patients (P=.003), respectively. Most of these events in both groups (2.1% and 7.0% for TRA; 3.2% and 9.4% for TFA, respectively) were nonaccess site-related. TRA was associated with a significant reduction in adjusted rates of major bleeding both at 30 days (HR, 1.98; 95%CI, 1.25-3.11; P=.003) and at 2 years of follow-up (HR, 1.51; 95%CI, 1.14-2.01; P=.003). This difference was driven by both access and nonaccess bleeding. CONCLUSIONS: Operators preferred TRA for most HBR patients, which was associated with a significant reduction in major bleeding events. However, most of these events in this population are unrelated to vascular access. (AU)

Impact of long-term ticagrelor monotherapy following 1-month dual antiplatelet therapy in patients who underwent complex percutaneous coronary intervention: insights from the Global Leaders trial.

AIMS: To evaluate the impact of an experimental strategy [23-month ticagrelor monotherapy following 1-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT)] vs. a reference regimen (12-month aspirin monotherapy following 12-month DAPT) after complex percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). METHODS AND RESULTS: In the present post hoc analysis of the Global Leaders trial, the primary endpoint [composite of all-cause death or new Q-wave myocardial infarction (MI)] at 2 years was assessed in patients with complex PCI, which includes at least one of the following characteristics: multivessel PCI, ≥3 stents implanted, ≥3 lesions treated, bifurcation PCI with ≥2 stents, or total stent length >60 mm. In addition, patient-oriented composite endpoint (POCE) (composite of all-cause death, any stroke, any MI, or any revascularization) and net adverse clinical events (NACE) [composite of POCE or Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) Type 3 or 5 bleeding] were explored. Among 15 450 patients included in this analysis, 4570 who underwent complex PCI had a higher risk of ischaemic and bleeding events. In patients with complex PCI, the experimental strategy significantly reduced risks of the primary endpoint [hazard ratio (HR): 0.64, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.48-0.85] and POCE (HR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.69-0.93), but not in those with non-complex PCI (Pinteraction = 0.015 and 0.017, respectively). The risk of BARC Type 3 or 5 bleeding was comparable (HR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.67-1.40), resulting in a significant risk reduction in NACE (HR: 0.80, 95% CI: 0.69-0.92; Pinteraction = 0.011). CONCLUSION: Ticagrelor monotherapy following 1-month DAPT could provide a net clinical benefit for patients with complex PCI. However, in view of the overall neutral results of the trial, these findings of a post hoc analysis should be considered as hypothesis generating.

Polymer-free drug-coated coronary stents in diabetic patients at high bleeding risk: a pre-specified sub-study of the LEADERS FREE trial.

OBJECTIVE: Diabetics are at increased risk after stent implantation and potentially sensitive to the type of stent and dual anti-platelet therapy (DAPT). The randomized, double-blind LEADERS FREE trial compared 2432 patients at high bleeding risk (HBR) receiving either a polymer-free BA9-coated stent (DCS) or a bare metal stent (BMS) with 1 month of DAPT, and showed superior safety and efficacy of the DCS at 2 years. We report outcomes at 2 years of the pre-specified diabetic subgroup. METHODS AND RESULTS: The diabetic sub-group comprised 805 (33.1%) patients; 262 (10.8%) were insulin-dependent (IDDM). Compared to non-diabetics, diabetics were younger and had more risk factors and multi-vessel disease. They suffered higher rates of death (15.6 vs. 12.2%, p = 0.01), cardiac death (8.3 vs. 5.9%, p = 0.02), myocardial infarction (MI) (11.1 vs. 7.8%, p = 0.009) and definite/probable stent thrombosis (3.1 vs. 1.7%, p = 0.01), but rates of clinically-indicated TLR (9.1 vs. 9.5%, p = 0.93) and BARC 3-5 bleeding (10.2 vs. 8.4%, p = 0.20) were comparable. Compared to diabetic patients treated with a BMS, diabetic DCS recipients required less clinically driven TLR (6.3 vs. 12.2%, p = 0.006). The primary safety endpoint (cardiac death, MI, definite/probable stent thrombosis) occurred numerically less frequently in the DCS group (14.9 vs. 19.7%, p = 0.10), and was significantly lower in IDDM patients (13.8 vs. 25.4%, p = 0.03). BARC 3-5 was similar for patients treated with DCS (9.9%) and BMS (10.5%, p = 0.84). CONCLUSIONS: In diabetic HBR patients, DCS significantly reduced re-intervention rates over BMS, and showed a strong trend towards a safety benefit at 2 years. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov number: NCT01623180.

Establishment of healing profile and neointimal transformation in the new polymer-free biolimus A9-coated coronary stent by longitudinal sequential optical coherence tomography assessments: the EGO-BIOFREEDOM study.

AIMS: This study aimed to establish the early healing and neointimal transformation profile of the new polymer-free BioFreedom stent through sequential optical coherence tomography (OCT) within the first nine months following stent implantation. METHODS AND RESULTS: We randomly assigned 104 BFS recipients to one of five groups with angiography and OCT follow-up at 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 months, together with another follow-up for all at nine months. The primary endpoint was the degree of OCT-detected strut coverage at nine months. From 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 months, median neointimal strut coverage increased from 85.8, 87.0, 88.6, 96.8 to 97.1%, respectively, to 99.6% (IQR 98.2-99.9) at nine months. At nine months, median percent neointimal volume was 13.0% and angiographic late lumen loss was 0.21±0.30 mm. Major adverse cardiac events (MACE) were limited to one non-cardiac death, one non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction not related to BFS, and two target lesion revascularisations without stent thrombosis (MACE rate 4.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Neointimal strut coverage of the BFS was rapid and the BFS was shown to be clinically safe and effective.

Biolimus A9 polymer-free coated stents in high bleeding risk patients undergoing complex PCI: evidence from the LEADERS FREE randomised clinical trial.

AIMS: The LEADERS FREE trial has demonstrated that a polymer-free Biolimus A9-coated stent (BA9-DCS) is superior to a bare metal stent (BMS) for high bleeding risk (HBR) patients when treated with one month of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). This analysis aimed to determine the impact of PCI procedure complexity on the two-year results. METHODS AND RESULTS: Six hundred and sixty-seven (667) patients enrolled in the LEADERS FREE (BA9-DCS 346, BMS 321) underwent a complex PCI, defined by one or more of eight characteristics: total stent length ≥60 mm, ≥3 vessels or lesions treated, ≥3 stents implanted, bifurcation lesion treated with ≥2 stents, chronically occluded, restenotic or saphenous vein graft lesion. Patients undergoing complex PCI were older, more often male, and presented with more ACS, diabetes, renal insufficiency, anaemia and multivessel disease. They derived major benefit from DCS over BMS for safety (16.2% vs. 21.7%, HR 0.70 [0.49-0.99], p<0.05) and for efficacy (10.8% vs. 18.1%, HR 0.54 [0.35-0.83], p<0.005). For the 1,746 patients with non-complex PCI, DCS demonstrated superior efficacy (5.3% vs. 9.9%, HR 0.52 [0.36-0.75], p<0.001, p for interaction NS) and similar safety to BMS (11.1% vs. 12.6%, NS, p for interaction NS). CONCLUSIONS: Compared to BMS, the BA9-DCS maintained both efficacy and safety benefits when used in complex PCI procedures.

Long-term clinical and quality of life outcomes after stenting of femoropopliteal artery stenosis: 3-year results from the STROLL study.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the clinical and health status outcomes of patients undergoing superficial femoral artery (SFA) revascularization using the Shape Memory Alloy Recoverable Technology (S.M.A.R.T.®) nitinol self-expanding stent through 3 years of follow-up. BACKGROUND: Limited long-term data are available describing the durability of benefits after femoropopliteal revascularization. METHODS: In a multicenter, prospective, core-lab adjudicated study, 250 subjects with de novo or restenotic femoropopliteal arterial lesions were treated with the S.M.A.R.T.® stent. The primary endpoint of target vessel patency, a composite of ultrasound-assessed patency and freedom from clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR), was evaluated through 3 years. Secondary endpoints included stent fracture and health status. Health status was measured using generic and disease-specific instruments, including the Peripheral Artery Questionnaire (PAQ). RESULTS: At 3-year follow-up, Kaplan-Meier estimated target vessel patency was 72.7%, freedom from clinically driven TLR was 78.5%, and the incidence of stent fracture was 3.6%. The PAQ summary score was markedly impaired at baseline (mean 37.3 ± 19.6 points) and improved substantially at 1 month (mean change from baseline of 31.4 points, 95% CI: 28.5-34.3; P < 0.001). Disease-specific health status benefits assessed by the PAQ were largely preserved through 3 years of follow-up (mean change from baseline, 28.0 points, 95% CI: 24.3-31.7; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing revascularization for moderately complex SFA disease, use of the self-expanding S.M.A.R.T® stent was associated with a high rate of target vessel patency through 3 years and led to substantial and sustained health status benefits.