Does direct stenting with drug-eluting stents improve outcome? A meta-analysis of 10,900 patients.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to summarize the outcomes of patients undergoing direct stenting (DS) with drug-eluting stents (DES) compared to those who underwent balloon predilatation.

Background: DS has been associated with improved outcomes in the bare-metal stent era. Although DS with DES implantation has been increasingly adopted in clinical practice, its safety and effectiveness remain controversial.

Review: Stent fracture in the drug-eluting stent era.

Stent fracture has been recognized as one cause of stent failure and has been associated with in-stent restenosis and stent thrombosis, even in 2nd-generation drug-eluting stents. Given the wide use of drug-eluting stents and paucity of contemporary data available concerning stent fracture, we reviewed clinical studies and the Food and Drug Administration's Manufacturer and User Device Experience (MAUDE) database to analyze the current trends, mechanisms, predictors, outcomes and treatment for stent fracture.

Clinical impact of second-generation everolimus-eluting stents compared with first-generation drug-eluting stents in diabetic patients undergoing multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of everolimus-eluting stent (EES) use compared with first-generation drug-eluting stent (DES) use in diabetic patients undergoing multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: Although the benefits of EES over first-generation DES were demonstrated for the general population, there is a paucity of data in diabetic patients with multivessel disease.

Methods: The retrospective study cohort included 429 consecutive diabetic patients who underwent native multivessel PCI, defined as ≥2 same-generation DESs in ≥2 different native vessel territories during the index procedure.

Clinical outcomes of first- and second-generation drug-eluting stents in patients undergoing rotational atherectomy for heavily calcified coronary lesions.

Background: There is paucity of data regarding the clinical outcome of second generation drug- eluting stents (DES) post rotational atherectomy (RA) for heavily calcified coronary lesions (HCCL).

Methodology: The study cohort comprised 99 (116 lesions) consecutive patients who underwent RA for HCCL at our institution and received either a first generation DES (40 patients, 53 lesions) or a second generation DES (59 patients, 63 lesions). The analyzed clinical parameters were the 12-month rates of death (all cause and cardiac), Q-wave MI, target lesion revascularization (TLR), definite stent thrombosis (ST) and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) defined as the composite of death, Q-wave MI, or TLR.

Meta-analysis of direct and indirect comparison of ticagrelor and prasugrel effects on platelet reactivity.

Studies have linked on-treatment platelet reactivity (PR) to adverse clinical outcomes. Because new P2Y12 inhibitors (prasugrel and ticagrelor) have been predominantly tested against clopidogrel, data on pharmacodynamic comparisons between these 2 drugs are scarce. We compared ticagrelor with prasugrel in a network meta-analysis.