9-month clinical, angiographic, and intravascular ultrasound results of a prospective evaluation of the Axxess self-expanding biolimus A9-eluting stent in coronary bifurcation lesions: the DIVERGE (Drug-Eluting Stent Intervention for Treating Side Branches Effectively) study.

Objectives: This study sought to assess the safety and performance of the Axxess (Devax Inc., Lake Forest, California) self-expanding drug-eluting stent in coronary bifurcation lesions.

Background: Percutaneous treatment of coronary bifurcations is a predictor of adverse late outcomes, in part because of the lack of dedicated devices.

Methods: Patients with de novo bifurcation lesions were prospectively enrolled in a multicenter study. The Axxess stent was deployed at the level of the carina followed by additional sirolimus-eluting stents in the distal parent vessel (PV) and/or side branch (SB). All patients underwent clinical follow-up at 9 months; 150 were to receive control angiography and 76 were to receive intravascular ultrasound. The primary end point was the rate of major adverse cardiac events (MACE): a composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI), and target lesion revascularization (TLR). Secondary end points included in-segment restenosis, late loss, and percent neointimal volume obstruction.

Results: Overall, 302 patients were treated with 299 Axxess stents (99%). Additional stenting of 1 branch was performed in 21.7% of patients (17.7% PV, 4% SB), and of both branches in 64.7%. At 9 months, 99.3% of patients returned for clinical follow-up; from the angiographic and IVUS substudies, 93.3% and 89.4% returned. The cumulative 9-month MACE rate was 7.7% (0.7% death, 3.3% non-Q-wave MI, 1.0% Q-wave MI, 4.3% TLR). Subacute and late stent thrombosis occurred in 0.7% and 0.3% of patients. Total restenosis was 6.4% (3.6% PV, 4.3% SB), late loss was 0.20 +/- 0.41 mm in the PV and 0.17 +/- 0.34 mm in the SB. In the Axxess stent segment, percent neointimal volume obstruction was 4.3 +/- 5.2%.

Conclusions: This prospective multicenter study confirms the safety and performance of the Axxess stent in bifurcation lesions. (Drug-Eluting Stent Intervention for Treating Side Branches Effectively; ACTRN12606000259549).