Tacrolimus combined with arsenic trioxide provides a three-in-one drug-eluting coronary stent integrating anti-restenosis,pro-endothelialization and anti-inflammation

The limitations of current drug-eluting stent technologies in selectively inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation,which often leads to inflammation,call for innovative approaches in coronary artery disease treatment.In the present work,we propose a revolutionary solution:a three-in-one platform for vascular stents,combining arsenic trioxide(ATO)and tacrolimus(TAC)to address anti-proliferation,pro-endothelialization,and anti-inflammation aspects.Our findings demonstrate that the synergistic action of ATO and TAC effectively suppresses aberrant vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation and mitigates endothelial cell inflammation.Remarkably,the combination treatment of TAC/ATO enhances endothelial cell migration and adhesion abilities.Moreover,our TAC/ATO-eluting stent exhibits superior re-endothelialization and anti-restenosis effects in a rabbit and porcine stent implantation model.Both in vitro and in vivo results solidify the notion that the TAC/ATO-eluting stent ensures rapid re-endothelialization and significantly reduces the incidence of in-stent restenosis.Overall,this study represents a promising and novel multifunctional platform with immense potential in the therapy of coronary artery disease.

Long-term outcomes of titanium-nitride-oxide coated stents and drug-eluting stents in acute coronary syndrome:A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND In severe cases of coronary artery disease,percutaneous coronary intervention provide promising results.The stent used could be a drug-eluting stent(DES)or a titanium-nitride-oxide coated stent(TiNOS).AIM To compare the 5-year effectiveness and safety of the two stent types.METHODS The following systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted in accordance with the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines,and PubMed/MEDLINE,Scopus,and Cochrane Central were searched from inception till August 2023.Primary outcomes were major adverse cardiac events(MACE),cardiac death,myocardial infarction(MI),cardiac death or MI,and ischemia-driven total lesion revascularization(ID-TLR).RESULTS Four randomized controlled trials(RCT),which analyzed a sum total of 3045 patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS)after a median follow-up time of 5 years were included.Though statistically insignificant,an increase in the ID-TLR was observed in patients receiving TiNOSs vs DESs.In addition,MI,cardiac death and MI,and definite stent thrombosis(DST)were significantly decreased in the TiNOS arm.Baseline analysis revealed no significant results with meta-regression presenting non-ST elevated MI(NSTEMI)as a statistically significant covariate in the outcome of MACE.CONCLUSION TiNOS was found to be superior to DES in terms of MI,cardiac death or MI,and DST outcomes,however,the effect of the two stent types on ID-TLR and MACE was not significant.A greater number of studies are required to establish an accurate comparison of patient outcomes in TiNOS and DES.

Optimizing the Duration of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Implantation of Drug-eluting Coronary Stents

Percutaneous coronary intervention （PCI） with implantation of drug-eluting stents （DESs） has become the standard of care for coronary artery disease and gives a great impetus to device industry. In 2013, approximately half million patients with coronary artery disease underwent PCI in China with a penetration rate of DES reaching beyond 95%.131 The use of DES including domestic ones is highly effective in preventing coronary restenosis, but there is a collateral cost to be borne in terms of delayed healing or re-endothelialization of the stented arterial segment and risk of stent thrombosisJ41 Therefore.

Domestic versus imported drug-eluting stents for the treatment of patients with acute coronary syndrome

BACKGROUND:The application of coronary stents,especially drug-eluting stents(DESs),has made percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) one of important therapeutic methods for CHD. DES has reduced the in-stent restenosis to 5%–9% and signifi cantly improved the long-term prognosis of patients with CHD. The study aimed to investigate the long-term eff icacy and safety of domestic drugeluting stents(DESs) in patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS).METHODS:All patients with ACS who had undergone successful percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI) in the First Aff iliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from July 2009 to December 2010 were included in this study. Patients were excluded from the study if they were implanted with bare metal stents or different stents(domestic and imported DESs) simultaneously. The included patients were divided into two groups according to different stents implanted:domestic DESs and imported DESs.RESULTS:In the 1 683 patients of this study,1 558(92.6%) patients were followed up successfully for an average of(29.1±5.9) months. 130(8.3%) patients had major adverse cardiovascular events(MACEs),including cardiac death in 32(2.1%) patients,recurrent myocardial infarction in 16(1%),and revascularization in 94(6%). The rates of cardiac death,recurrent myocardial infarction,revascularization,in-stent restenosis,stent thrombosis and other MACEs were not signif icantly different between the two groups(all P>0.05). Multivarite logistic regression revealed that diabetes mellitus(OR=1.75,95%CI:1.09–2.82,P=0.021),vascular numbers of PCI(OR=2.16,95%CI:1.22–3.83,P=0.09) and PCI with left main lesion(OR=9.47,95%CI:2.96–30.26,P=0.01) were independent prognostic factors of MACEs. The Kaplan-Meier method revealed that there was no significant difference in cumulative survival rates and survival rates free from clinical events between the two groups(all P>0.05).CONCLUSIONS:The incidences of clinical events and cumulative survival rates are not statistically different between domestic DESs and imported DESs. Domestic DES is effective and safe in the treatment of patients with ACS.

Long term outcomes of drug-eluting stent versus coronary artery bypass grafting for left main coronary artery disease： a meta-analysis

Background It is still controversial whether percutaneous coronary intervention with drug-eluting stent （DES） is safe and effective compared to coronary artery bypass graft surgery （CABG） for unprotected left main coronary artery （ULMCA） disease at long-term follow up （≥3 years）. Methods Eligible studies were selected by searching PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library up to December 6, 2016. The primary endpoint was a composite of death, myocardial infarction （MI） or stroke during the longest follow-up. Death, cardiac death, MI, stroke and repeat revascularization were the secondary outcomes. Results Four randomized controlled trials and twelve adjusted observational studies involving 14,130 patients were included. DES was comparable to CABG regarding the occurrence of the primary endpoint （FIR = 0.94, 95% CI： 0.86-1.03）. Besides, DES was significantly associated with higher incidence of MI （HR = 1.56, 95% CI： 1.09-2.22） and repeat revascularization （HR = 3.09, 95% CI： 2.33-4.10） compared with CABG, while no difference was found between the two strategies regard as the rate of death, cardiac death and stroke. Furthermore, DES can reduce the risk of the composite endpoint of death, MI or stroke （HR = 0.80, 95% CI： 0.67-0.95） for ULMCA lesions with SYNTAX score ≤32. Conclusions Although with higher risk of repeat revascularization, PCI with DES appears to be as safe as CABG for ULMCA disease at long-term follow up. In addition, treatment with DES could be an alternative interventional strategy to CABG for ULMCA lesions with low to intermediate anatomic complexity.

Nine-year clinical outcomes of drug-eluting stents vs. bare metal stents for large coronary vessel lesions

Objectives To evaluate the very long-term safety and effectiveness of drug-eluting stents （DES） compared to bare-metal stents （BMS） for patients with large coronary vessels. Methods From April 2004 to October 2006, 2407 consecutive patients undergoing de novo lesion percutaneous coronary intervention with reference vessel diameter greater than or equal to 3.5 mm at Fu Wai Hospital in Beijing, China, were prospectively enrolled into this study. We obtained 9-year clinical outcomes including death, myocardial infarction （MI）, thrombosis, target lesion revascularization （TLR）, target vessel revascularization （TVR）, and major adverse cardiac events （MACE, the composite of death, MI, and TVR）. We performed Cox＇s proportional-hazards models to assess relative risks of all the outcome measures after propensity match. Results After propensity scoring, 514 DES-treated patients were matched to 514 BMS-treated patients. The patients treated with BMS were associated with higher risk ofTLR （HR： 2.55, 95%CI： 1.520-4.277, P = 0.0004） and TVR （HR： 1.889, 95%CI： 1.185-3.011, P = 0.0075）, but the rates of death/MI and MACE were not statistically different. All Academic Research Consortium definition stent thrombosis at 9-year were comparable in the two groups. Conclusions During long-term follow-up through nine years, use of DES in patients with large coronary arteries was still associated with significant reductions in the risks of TLR and TVR.

Prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stent implantation improves long-term prognosis for acute coronary syndrome:five-year results from a large cohort study

BACKGROUND:To investigate the most appropriate dual antiplatelet therapy(DAPT)duration for patients with acute coronary syndrome(ACS)after drug-eluting stent(DES)implantation in the largest cardiovascular center of China.METHODS:We enrolled 5,187 consecutive patients with ACS who received DES from January to December 2013.Patients were divided into four groups based on DAPT duration:standard DAPT group(11-13 months,n=1,568)and prolonged DAPT groups(13-18 months[n=308],18-24 months[n=2,125],and>24 months[n=1,186]).Baseline characteristics and 5-year clinical outcomes were recorded.RESULTS:Baseline characteristics were similar across the four groups.Among the four groups,those with prolonged DAPT(18-24 months)had the lowest incidence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events(MACCEs)(14.1%vs.11.7%vs.9.6%vs.24.2%,P<0.001),all-cause death(4.8%vs.3.9%vs.2.1%vs.2.6%,P<0.001),cardiac death(3.1%vs.2.6%vs.1.4%vs.1.9%,P=0.004),and myocardial infarction(MI)(3.8%vs.4.2%vs.2.5%vs.5.8%,P<0.001).The incidence of bleeding was not different among the four groups(9.9%vs.9.4%vs.11.0%vs.9.4%,P=0.449).Cox multivariable analysis showed that prolonged DAPT(18-24 months)was an independent protective factor for MACCEs(hazard ratio[HR]0.802,95%confidence interval[CI]0.729-0.882,P<0.001),all-cause death(HR 0.660,95%CI 0.547-0.795,P<0.001),cardiac death(HR 0.663,95%CI 0.526-0.835,P<0.001),MI(HR 0.796,95%CI 0.662-0.957,P=0.015),and target vessel revascularization(HR 0.867,95%CI 0.755-0.996,P=0.044).Subgroup analysis for high bleeding risk showed that prolonged DAPT remained an independent protective factor for all-cause death and MACCEs.CONCLUSION:For patients with ACS after DES,appropriately prolonging the DAPT duration may be associated with a reduced risk of adverse ischemic events without increasing the bleeding risk.

Five-year clinical outcomes of first-generation versus second-generation drug-eluting stents following coronary chronic total occlusion intervention

Background There are limited data comparing long-term clinical outcomes between first-generation (1G) and second-generation (2G) drug-eluting stents (DESs) in patients who underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for coronary chronic total occlusion (CTO) lesion. Methods A total of 840 consecutive patients who underwent PCI with DESs for CTO lesion from January 2004 to November 2015 were enrolled. Finally, a total of 324 eligible CTO patients received 1G-DES (Paclitaxel-eluting stent or Sirolimus-eluting stent, n = 157) or 2G-DES (Zotarolimus-eluting stent or Everolimus-eluting stent, n = 167) were enrolled. The clinical endpoint was the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) defined as all-cause death, recurrent myocardial infarction (re-MI), total repeat revascularization [target lesion revascularization (TLR), target vessel revascularization (TVR), and non-TVR]. We investigated the 5-year major clinical outcomes between 1G-DES and 2G-DES in patient who underwent successful CTO PCI. Results After propensity score matched (PSM) analysis, two well-balanced groups (111 pairs, n = 222, C-statistic = 0.718) were generated. Up to the 5-year follow-up period, the cumulative incidence of all-cause death, re-MI, TLR, TVR and non-TVR were not significantly different between the two groups. Finally, MACE was also similar between the two groups (HR = 1.557, 95% CI: 0.820–2.959, P = 0.176) after PSM. Conclusions In this study, 2G-DES was not associated with reduced long-term MACE compared with 1G-DES following successful CTO revascularization up to five years.

A Case Summary of the Application of a Drug-eluting Stent Combined with a Drug-Coated Balloon in Left Main Coronary Artery Disease

Objective:To evaluate the clinical efficacy of a drug-eluting stent(DES)combined with a drug-coated balloon(DCB)in the treatment of left main coronary artery bifurcation lesions.Methods:A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of eight patients with left main coronary artery bifurcation lesions treated with a DES combined with a DCB who were admitted to our hospital from July 2016 to July 2017.These eight patients all underwent DES treatment for their left main coronary artery and left anterior descending coronary artery lesions,and DCB treatment at the ostium of the left circumflex artery;six of the patients underwent surgical procedures under the guidance of intravascular ultrasonography.Immediate postoperative angiography was used to evaluate the patency of the diseased vessels,and the restenosis rate at the 6-month follow-up after the operation and the incidence of serious clinical events within 6 months were assessed as well.Results:The use of a DES combined with a DCB in the treatment of left main coronary artery bifurcation lesions had a low restenosis rate(left main coronary artery(8.4±5.3)%,left anterior descending coronary artery(18.2±5.0)%,left circumflex artery(30.5±16.5)%).No serious clinical events occurred in any patients.Conclusion:A DES combined with a DCB is a safe and effective interventional treatment for left main artery coro-nary bifurcation lesions.

Role of Second-Generation Drug-Eluting Stents and Bypass Grafting in Coronary Artery Disease:A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Background:The safety and efficacy of coronary artery bypass grafting(CABG)and second-generation drug-eluting stents(DESs)in patients with coronary artery disease(CAD)remain controversial.Therefore we aimed to compare the outcomes of CAD patients treated with CABG and second-generation DESs.Methods:We systematically searched the PubMed,Cochrane Library,Ovid,and Elsevier databases.Studies comparing second-generation DESs with CABG in CAD patients were included.RevMan 5.3 was used to extract and pool the data from the applicable studies.Results:Six trials(N=6604 participants)were included in this meta-analysis.Among all of the CAD patients,second-generation DESs were associated with no differences in the risks of all-cause death[risk ratio(RR)1.18,95% confi dence interval(CI)0.98–1.43,P=0.09],cardiovascular death(RR 1.14,95% CI 0.81–1.59,P=0.45),myocardial infarction(RR 1.22,95% CI 0.98–1.54,P=0.08),and stroke(RR 0.83,95% CI 0.59–1.17,P=0.29),but increased the risks of revascularization(RR 1.95,95% CI 1.66–2.30,P<0.001)and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events(RR 1.72,95% CI:1.31–2.26,P<0.001)when compared with CABG.Conclusions:In the treatment of CAD patients,second-generation DESs was not associated with increased risks of all-cause death,cardiovascular death,myocardial infarction,and stroke,but increased the risks of revascularization and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events when compared with CABG.

Transradial versus transfemoral rotablation for heavily calcified coronary lesions in contemporary drug-eluting stent era

Background Although radial access for drug-eluting stent （DES） combined with rotational atherectomy （RA） in patients with calcified coronary lesions may be associated with a lower risk of major bleeding complications and obtain favorable clinical results compared with femoral access, the long-term outcome data of this approach were limited in contemporary DES era. Methods ＆ Results This retrospective study sought to compare in-hospital and long-term outcomes for patients undergoing RA via the transradial （TR） and transfemoral （TF） route in 126 consecutive patients （59 radial, 67 femoral） from 2009 to 2014. TR RA procedures were performed in 44/62 （71%） by the three TR operators, compared with 15/64 （23%） by the four TF operators in the present study. Significantly smaller diameter guide catheters and burrs （1.39 ± 0.16 mm vs. 1.53 ± 0.24 mm, P = 0.001） were used in the TR group. Procedural success rates were similar in both TR and TF groups. There was a significantly less major access site bleeding complications in favor of radial artery access （2% vs. 16%, P = 0.012）. The incidence of in-hospital death or myocardial infarction was low in both groups. Although a trend of lower adverse event rate was demonstrated in the TR group compared with the TF one, no statistical significance （21% vs. 27%, P = 0.135） was detected. Conclusions Radial access, a useful alternative to femoral access for RA and DES, can be safely and successfully performed on up to 71% of the patients with heavily calcified coronary lesions needing RA by experienced TR operators.

Clinical significance of provoked coronary spasm at chronic stage in patients who underwent successful complete coronary revascularization with first-generation drug-eluting stents

Background: Provoked spasm might have influence on cardiovascular events even after successful DES implantation. Methods and results: A consecutive 122 patients who underwent first-generation DES (CypherTM, and TaxusTM) implantation and had no residual stenosis at follow-up coronary angiography were included. All patients also underwent acetylcholine provocation test (ACh) at follow-up angiography. Age, sex, coronary risk factors (smoking, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia), medication (calcium channel blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, nitrates, β blockers, statins), duration from stent implantation to follow-up angiography (15.5 ± 14.5 months), old myocardial infarction, Ach + were included as variables for multivariate analysis for cardiovascular events (angina pectoris without intervention, target lesion revascularization, acute myocardial infarction, definite or probable stent thrombosis, cardiac death, and stroke). ACh provocation test was positive in 64.8%. The following events occurred during a mean follow-up period of 26.9 ± 9.5 months;angina pectoris without intervention in 12, very late stent thrombosis in 1, acute myocardial infarction in 1, sudden death in 1, and stroke in 4. By Adjusted Cox hazard model, age was the independent predictor of future cardiovascular events. ACh was unbalanced data for Cox hazard model, and by logistic regression model, ACh was the strongest predictor. Conclusions: Coronary endothelial dysfunction at chronic stage is the strongest predictor of further prognosis in patients with first-generation DES.

Giant Coronary Artery Pseudoaneurysm after Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation

Formation of coronary artery pseudoaneurysm after percutaneous coronary intervention is rarely reported. A close review of available literature indicates a trend of growing incidence in recent times. Here, we present a case of coronary pseudoaneurysm developing in the left circumflex artery within 50 days of sirolimus-eluting stent implantation in a 47-year-old man who was treated for triple-vessel coronary artery disease. Initially, the patient refused any further treatment. However, considering the rapid growth of pseudoaneurysm and increased severity of symptoms at subsequent follow-up, we decided to treat giant pseudoaneurysm with embolization coils. The procedure was successful and the patient remained asymptomatic thereafter.

Successful Percutaneous Treatment of Coronary Artery Ectasia with Drug-Eluting Stent

Coronary artery ectasia is well-known but relatively uncommon finding with prevalence ranging from 1.2% to 5.3%. Coronary artery ectasia has been associated with atherosclerosis in approximately half of the cases. Here, we are presenting a case of male patient who experienced myocardial infarction and was diagnosed with coronary artery ectasia in proximal-mid junction of left anterior descending artery with stenotic lesion. The patient was successfully treated with percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty.

Comparison of the safety and efficacy of two types of drug-eluting balloons （RESTORE DEB and SeQuent Please） in the treatment of coronary in-stent restenosis： study protocol for a randomized controlled trial （RESTORE ISR China）

1 Introduction In-stent restenosis （ISR）, characterized by neointimal proliferation and/or neoatherosclerosis in the vessel of the stent, can cause a reduction in lumen diameter after stent implantation, which can directly induce the recurrence of angina symptoms or an acute coronary syndrome in patients and is usually life-threatening.

Incidence, Predictors, Treatment, and Long-Term Prognosis of Patients with Restenosis after Long Drug-Eluting Stent Implantation for Coronary Arteries

Background: Few data on the clinical course and management of patients experiencing restenosis after implantation of long drug-eluting stents treatment for coronary arteries was available. Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence, predictors, and long-term outcomes of patients with in-stent restenosis (ISR) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with long (33 mm & 38 mm) drug-eluting stents (DES) for long lesions in coronary arteries including left anterior descending artery (LAD), Lt circumflex artery (Lt Cx), right coronary artery (RCA), obtuse marginal artery (OM) & posterior descending artery (PDA). Methods: Between July 2009 and October 2010, 421 long DES had being implanted in 421 consecutive patients with significant coronary artery stenosis, with 371 patients (88%) undergoing routine follow up, clinical follow up done by exercise stress test at 6 & 12 months after stenting for 126 patients (34%), in 124 patients (33.5%) follow up was done by Computed Tomography angiography & 121 patients (32.5%) with clinically driven angiographic follow-up. A major adverse cardiac event was defined as the composite of death, myocardial infarction (MI), or target-lesion revascularization (TLR) within 15 months. Results: All patients who underwent clinical follow up were asymptomatic. The overall incidence of angiographic (CT or conventional) ISR with long (33 mm & 38 mm) DES was 4% (15 out of 371 stents) with 8 (53.3%) focal-type and 7 (46.7%) with diffuse-type ISR. Six patients (40%) under-went repeated PCI, seven (46.7%) underwent bypass surgery, and 2 (13.3%) were treated medically. During long-term follow-up (ranging from 12 - 26 months), there were no deaths, 3 (0.8%) MI, and 13 (3.5%) repeated target-lesion revascularization (PCI or CABG) cases. The incidence of major adverse cardiac event was 5.3% in the medical group, 10.1% in the repeated PCI group, and 21.4% in the bypass surgery group. Multivariate analysis showed that the occurrence of DES-ISR did not affect the risk of death or MI. Conclusions: The incidence of ISR was 4% after long DES stenting for coronary arteries. The long-term clinical prognosis of patients with long DES-ISR associated with coronary artery stenting might be benign, if the patient has optimal treatment.

COMPARISON BETWEEN CORONARY ARTERY BYPASS SURGERY AND DRUG-ELUTING STENTS IMPLANTATION TO DIABETIC PATIENTS WITH MULTIVESSEL CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

Objective To evaluate the safety and efficacy of drug-elating stents （DES） implantation in diabetic patients with multivessel coronary artery disease （MVD） compared with coronary artery bypass graft （CABG） on the clinical outcomes. Methods From May 2003 to April 2005, 150 consecutive type 2 diabetic patients with MVD underwent revascularization, 84 by percutaneous coronary intervention （PC1） with DES and 66 by CABG. The study end point was the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events （MACEs） during hospital interval after procedure and follow-up. Results Most preoperative characteristics were similar in two groups, but left main disease （30% vs 4%, P = 0. 001 ） and three-vessel disease （ 70% vs 54%, P = 0. 045 ） were more prevalent in CABG group. Complete revascularization was achieved in more patients in CABG group than that in PC1 group （82% vs 67%, P =0. 037）. Cumulative incidence of MACEs in hospital was similar between two groups （2.4% PC1 vs 9. 1% CABG , P =0. 069） despite the higher early morbidity （6. 1% vs 0%, P =0. 022） associated with CABG. Patients were followed up clinically for a mean of 18 - 8 months （ range 13- 36 months）. The incidence of MACEs remained higher after PC1 with multiple DES （21.4% vs 9. 1%, P =0. 041 ） mainly driven by a more require for repeat revascularization （ 13. 1% vs 3. 0%, P = 0. 030 ）. Conclusion PC1 with DES implantation, combined with tight glycemic control, aggressive cardiovascular risk factor modification and antiplatelet treatment, may be a safe and feasible alternative to CABG for selected diabetic patients with multivessel disease.

Unloading and successful treatment with bioresorbable stents during percutaneous coronary intervention:A case report

BACKGROUND With the development of percutaneous coronary intervention(PCI),the number of interventional procedures without implantation,such as bioresorbable stents(BRS)and drug-coated balloons,has increased annually.Metal drug-eluting stent unloading is one of the most common clinical complications.Comparatively,BRS detachment is more concealed and harmful,but has yet to be reported in clinical research.In this study,we report a case of BRS unloading and successful rescue.This is a case of a 59-year-old male with the following medical history:“Type 2 diabetes mellitus”for 2 years,maintained with metformin extended-release tablets,1 g PO BID;“hypertension”for 20 years,with long-term use of metoprolol sustained-release tablets,47.5 mg PO QD;“hyperlipidemia”for 20 years,without regular medication.He was admitted to the emergency department of our hospital due to intermittent chest pain lasting 18 hours,on February 20,2022 at 15:35.Electrocardiogram results showed sinus rhythm,ST-segment elevation in leads I and avL,and poor R-wave progression in leads V1–3.High-sensitivity troponin I level was 4.59 ng/mL,indicating an acute high lateral wall myocardial infarction.The patient’s family requested treatment with BRS,without implanta-tion.During PCI,the BRS became unloaded but was successfully rescued.The patient was followed up for 2 years;he had no episodes of angina pectoris and was in generally good condition.CONCLUSION We describe a case of a 59-year-old male experienced BRS unloading and successful rescue.By analyzing images,the causes of BRS unloading and the treatment plan are discussed to provide insights for BRS release operations.We discuss preventive measures for BRS unloading.

Drug-eluting fully covered self-expanding metal stent for dissolution of bile duct stones in vitro

BACKGROUND The treatment of difficult common bile duct stones(CBDS)remains a big challenge around the world.Biliary stenting is a widely accepted rescue method in patients with failed stone extraction under endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography.Fully covered self-expanding metal stent(FCSEMS)has gained increasing attention in the management of difficult CBDS.AIM To manufacture a drug-eluting FCSEMS,which can achieve controlled release of stone-dissolving agents and speed up the dissolution of CBDS.METHODS Customized covered nitinol stents were adopted.Sodium cholate(SC)and disodium ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid(EDTA disodium,EDTA for short)were used as stone-dissolving agents.Three different types of drug-eluting stents were manufactured by dip coating(Stent I),coaxial electrospinning(Stent II),and dip coating combined with electrospinning(Stent III),respectively.The drugrelease behavior and stone-dissolving efficacy of these stents were evaluated in vitro to sort out the best manufacturing method.And the selected stonedissolving stents were further put into porcine CBD to evaluate their biosecurity.RESULTS Stent I and Stent II had obvious burst release of drugs in the first 5 d while Stent III presented controlled and sustainable drug release for 30 d.In still buffer,the final stone mass-loss rate of each group was 5.19%±0.69%for naked FCSEMS,20.37%±2.13%for Stent I,24.57%±1.45%for Stent II,and 33.72%±0.67%for Stent III.In flowing bile,the final stone mass-loss rate of each group was 5.87%±0.25%for naked FCSEMS,6.36%±0.48%for Stent I,6.38%±0.37%for Stent II,and 8.15%±0.27%for Stent III.Stent III caused the most stone mass-loss no matter in still buffer or in flowing bile,which was significantly higher than those of other groups(P<0.05).In vivo,Stent III made no difference from naked FCSEMS in serological analysis(P>0.05)and histopathological examination(P>0.05).CONCLUSION The novel SC and EDTA-eluting FCSEMS is efficient in diminishing CBDS in vitro.When conventional endoscopic techniques fail to remove difficult CBDS,SC and EDTA-eluting FCSEMS implantation may be considered a promising alternative.

Ureteral stent technology:Drug-eluting stents and stent coatings

Ureteral stents are commonly used following urological procedures to maintain ureteral patency.However,alongside the benefits of the device,indwelling stents frequently cause significant patient discomfort(pain,urgency,frequency)and can become encrusted and infected.The importance of these sequelae is that they are not only bothersome to the patient but can lead to significant morbidity,urinary retention,ureteral damage,recurrent infections,pyelonephritis and sepsis.When these problems occur,stent removal or replacement alongside antibiotic,analgesic and/or other symptom-modifying therapies are essential to successfully treat the patient.In an attempt to prevent such morbidity,numerous approaches have been investigated over the past several decades to modify the stent itself,thereby affecting changes locally within the urinary tract without significant systemic therapy.These strategies include changes to device design,polymeric composition,drug-elution and surface coatings.Of these,drug-elution and surface coatings are the most studied and display the most promise for advancing ureteral stent use and efficacy.This article reviews these two strategies in detail to determine their clinical potential and guide future research in the area.