Several recent studies have been released offering a bright outlook for the use of drug-eluting stents (DES).

Presentations at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions and American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Summit (SCAI-ACCi2) in Chicago recently concluded, offering promising results.

Yaling Han, M.D. of Shenyang China presented results of a recent CREATE study with the Excel stent. The Excel (from JW Medical Systems) DES is coated with a biodegradable polymer and the drug Sirolimus. Over 2,000 patients in 59 international medical centers received the Excel DES implant. About 17 percent received the stent just after a heart attack. After a 12-month follow up, the outcomes proved auspicious to DES usage. Only 2.77 percent of patients suffered complications. The Excel DES patients were also prescribed Clopidogrel and aspirin as anticoagulants to assist in therapy. Due to the minimal cardiovascular complications, the Excel stent therapy has potential to reduce instances of restenosis and late stent thrombosis.
Another DES-favorable study outcome was presented by Patrick W. Serruys, M.D. from Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Dr. Serruys discussed his group's SPIRIT II study, which evaluated the safety and efficacy of the XIENCE V Everolimus-eluting stent compared with the TAXUS Paclitaxel-eluting stent. Dr. Serruys stated that analysis of the outcomes demonstrated the XIENCE V stent is superior to TAXUS. The Everolimus group showed a 98% success rate.

The 300 international patients recruited for the SPIRIT II study had de novo coronary lesions needing 1-2 stents. The XIENCE V stent's clinical outcomes at two years showed a nearly identical rate to TAXUS for in-stent late loss, a 40 % lower major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rate, a 49% higher reduction in heart attack rates and a 64% higher reduction in cardiac death over the Taxus stent. The study did note that there was no difference in blood clotting or stent thrombosis at the two-year outcome between the TAXUS and XIENCE stents, indicating that further long-term data regarding the stents' performance should be pursued.

Philips Healthcare was present at the Chicago ACC Scientific Summit, demonstrating its interventional tool StentBoost Subtract. StentBoost is an X-ray enhancing visualization that helps assess full stent expansion and apposition. StentBoost freezes and enhances the image around the stent. Clinicians benefit from the better view of stent deployment in coronary arteries by being able to take immediate corrective action, which can prevent additional procedures. Philips' work follows the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions recommendation of DES and the resulting interest in better quality stent and lumen visualization.

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