The Birth, and Evolution, of Percutaneous Coronary Interventions: A Conversation With Patrick Serruys, MD, PhD

Revolutionizing Cardiovascular Frontiers: A Dive Into Cutting-Edge Innovations in Coronary Stent Technology

Plain balloon angioplasty was the initial method used to enlarge the intracoronary lumen size. However, it was linked to acute coronary closure due to early vessel recoil. This led to the invention of coronary stents, which offer mechanical support to open and maintain the vascular lumen. Nevertheless, the metallic scaffold introduced other issues, such as thrombosis and restenosis caused by neointimal proliferation. To address these concerns, polymers were employed to cover the scaffold, acting as drug reservoirs and regulators for controlled drug release. The use of polymers prevents direct contact between blood and metallic scaffolds. Drugs within the stent were incorporated to inhibit proliferation and expedite endothelialization in the healing process. Despite these advancements, adverse effects still arise due to the inflammatory reaction caused by the polymer material. Consequently, resorbable polymers and scaffolds were later discovered, but they have limitations and are not universally applicable. Various scaffold designs, thicknesses, materials, polymer components, and drugs have their own advantages and complications. Each stent generation has been designed to address the shortcomings of the preceding generation, yet new challenges continue to emerge. Conflicting data regarding the long-term safety and efficacy of coronary stents, especially in the extended follow-up, further complicates the assessment.

Global research trends in in-stent neoatherosclerosis: A CiteSpace-based visual analysis

BACKGROUND

Recent studies have shown that in-stent neoatherosclerosis (ISNA/NA) is an important cause of late stent failure. A comprehensive understanding of the current state of research in this field will facilitate the analysis of its development trends and hot frontiers. However, no bibliometric correlation has been reported yet. Here, we analyze the relevant literature since the emergence of the concept and provide valuable insights.

METHODS

Publications were collected from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) and PubMed. Microsoft Excel, SPSS and CiteSpace were used to analyze and present the data.

RESULTS

A total of 498 articles were collected, with Japan and Cardiovasc Res Fdn being the main publishing forces in all country/region and institutions. J AM COLL CARDIOL is the journal with the most published and co-cited articles. According to co-citation analysis, optical coherence tomography, thrombosis, implantation, restenosis, drug-eluting stent, and bare metal stent have become more and more popular recently.

CONCLUSION

ISNA is a niche and emerging field. How to reduce the incidence of ISNA and improve the late patency rate of coronary stents may remain a hot spot for future research. The pathogenesis of ISNA also needs to be explored in more depth.

Stent visualization methods to guide percutaneous coronary interventions and assess long-term patency

Evaluation of acute percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) results and long-term follow-up remains challenging with ongoing stent designs. Several imaging tools have been developed to assess native vessel atherosclerosis and stent expansion, improving overall PCI results and reducing adverse cardiac events. Quantitative coronary analysis has played a crucial role in quantifying the extent of coronary artery disease and stent results. Digital stent enhancement methods have been well validated and improved stent strut visualization. Intravascular imaging remains the gold standard in PCI guidance but adds costs and time to the procedure. With a recent shift towards non-invasive imaging assessment and coronary computed tomography angiography imaging have shown promising results. We hereby review novel stent visualization techniques used to guide PCI and assess stent patency in the modern PCI era.

Drug-Coated Balloon for De Novo Coronary Artery Lesions: A Systematic Review and Trial Sequential Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials. Cardiovasc Ther. 2020;2020:4158363. [PMID: 32934664 DOI: 10.1155/2020/4158363]

Objective

To investigate the efficacy of drug-coated balloon (DCB) treatment for de novo coronary artery lesions in randomized controlled trials (RCTs).

Background

DCB was an effective therapy for patients with in-stent restenosis. However, the efficacy of DCB in patients with de novo coronary artery lesions is still unknown.

Methods

Eligible studies were searched on PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library Database. Systematic review and meta-analyses of RCTs were performed comparing DCB with non-DCB devices (such as plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA), bare-metal stents (BMS), or drug-eluting stents (DES)) for the treatment of de novo lesions. Trial sequential meta-analysis (TSA) was performed to assess the false positive and false negative errors.

Results

A total of 2,137 patients enrolled in 12 RCTs were analyzed. Overall, no significant difference in target lesion revascularization (TLR) was found, but there were numerically lower rates after DCB treatment at 6 to 12 months follow-up (RR: 0.69; 95% CI: 0.47 to 1.01; P = 0.06; TSA-adjusted CI: 0.41 to 1.16). TSA showed that at least 1,000 more randomized patients are needed to conclude the effect on TLR. A subgroup analysis from high bleeding risk patients revealed that DCB treatment was associated with lower rate of TLR (RR: 0.10; 95% CI: 0.01 to 0.78; P = 0.03). The systematic review illustrated that the rate of bailout stenting was lower and decreased gradually.

Conclusions

DCB treatment was associated with a trend toward lower TLR when compared with controls. For patients at bleeding risk, DCB treatment was superior to BMS in TLR.

The evolution of coronary stents

INTRODUCTION

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is 40 years old this year. From its humble beginnings of experimental work, PCI has transitioned over years with coronary artery stenting now a standard medical procedure performed throughout the world. Areas covered: The conversion from plain old balloon angioplasty (POBA) to the present era of drug eluting stents (DES) has been driven by many technological advances and large bodies of clinical trial evidence. The journey to present day practice has seen many setbacks, such as acute vessel closure with POBA; rates of instant restenosis with bare metal stents (BMS) and more recently, high rates of stent thrombosis with bioabsorbable platforms. This work discusses POBA, why there was a need for BMS, the use of inhibiting drugs to create 1^st generation DES, the change of components to 2^nd generation DES, the use of absorbable drug reservoirs and platforms, and possible future directions with Prohealing Endothelial Progenitor Cell Capture Stents. Expert commentary: This paper reviews the evolution from the original pioneering work to modern day practice, highlighting landmark trials that changed practice. Modern day contemporary practice is now very safe based on the latest drug eluting stents and supported by large datasets.

Coronary stents and vascular response to implantation: literature review

Drug-eluting stents (DESs) have minimized the limitations of bare-metal stents (BMSs) after percutaneous coronary interventions. Nevertheless, serious concerns remain about possible late complications of stenting, such as stent thrombosis (ST) and in-stent restenosis (ISR), although the introduction of second-generation DESs seems to have softened the phenomenon, compared to the first-generation ones. ST is a potentially catastrophic event, which has been markedly reduced by optimization of stent implantation, novel stent designs, and dual antiplatelet therapy. The exact mechanism to explain its occurrence is under investigation, and, realistically, multiple factors are responsible. ISR of BMSs has been previously considered as a stable condition with an early peak (at 6 months) of intimal hyperplasia, followed by a regression period beyond 1 year. On the contrary, both clinical and histologic studies of DESs have demonstrated evidence of continuous neointimal growth during long-term follow-up, named “late catch-up” phenomenon. The acknowledgment that ISR is a relatively benign clinical condition has been recently challenged by evidences which reported that patients with ISR can experience acute coronary syndromes. Intracoronary imaging is an invasive technology that allows identifying features of atherosclerotic plaque of stent implanted and of vascular healing after stenting; it is often used to complete diagnostic coronary angiography and to drive interventional procedures. Intracoronary optical coherence tomography is currently considered a state-of-the-art imaging technique; it provides, compared to intravascular ultrasound, better resolution (at least >10 times), allowing the detailed characterization of the superficial structure of the vessel wall. Imaging studies “in vivo,” in agreement with histological findings, suggest that chronic inflammation and/or endothelial dysfunction may induce late de novo “neoatherosclerosis” inside both BMSs and DESs. So, neoatherosclerosis has become the prime suspect in the pathogenesis of late stent failure.