Late positive remodeling and late lumen gain contribute to vascular restoration by a non-drug eluting bioresorbable scaffold: a four-year intravascular ultrasound study in normal porcine coronary arteries.

Background: The interplay between mechanical dilatation, resorption, and arterial response following implantation of bioresorbable scaffolds is still poorly understood.

Methods And Results: Long-term geometric changes in porcine coronary arteries in relation to gradual degradation of bioresorbable scaffolds were assessed in comparison with bare metal stents (BMS). Intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-derived lumen, outer stent/scaffold, and reference vessel areas were evaluated in 94 polymer scaffolds and 46 BMS at 5 days and 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 55 months, in addition to polymer scaffold radial crush strength and molecular weight (M(W)) at 3, 6, and 12 months.

Viscoelastic properties of fibrinogen adsorbed to the surface of biomaterials used in blood-contacting medical devices.

The hemocompatibility of polymeric vascular implants is in part dependent on the propensity of fibrinogen to adsorb to the implant surface. Fibrinogen surface adsorption was measured in real time using a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring (QCM-D). Six new, biodegradable tyrosine-derived polycarbonates were used as test surfaces.

Degradable, drug-eluting stents: a new frontier for the treatment of coronary artery disease.

This article reviews the clinical use of stents in the treatment of coronary artery disease and the rationale for the use of degradable, drug-eluting polymer stents. The authors note the challenges of using off-the-shelf polymers for the development of degradable stents, as well as the interplay between polymer properties and a functional stent design. Drug-eluting metal stents are the most significant advancement in the treatment of coronary artery disease, and have significantly reduced the occurrence of in-stent restenosis after placement.