Mid-Term Clinical Outcomes of ACS and Non-ACS Patients Treated With Everolimus-Eluting Stents

Drug-eluting stents (DES) have proven to be effective for reducing the rate of restenosis, whereas stem thrombosis (ST) after DES implantation has raised safety concerns. Everolimus-eluting stents (EES) are a new generation of DES that have demonstrated safety and efficacy compared with first-generation DES. However, the use of EES in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has not been adequately investigated. We compared the clinical outcomes between the ACS and non-ACS groups treated with EES. A total of 335 consecutive patients who received EES implantation between January 2010 and January 2011 were investigated (ACS; n = 172, non-ACS; n = 163). Clinical outcome data were obtained for 94.3% of the patients. Follow-up angiography was performed in 58.5% of all patients. The median follow-up period was 8 months in both groups. Clinical outcomes were not statistically different between the groups. The rate of target lesion revascularization (TLR) was 2.5% in the ACS group and 3.8% in the non-ACS group (P = 0.37). MACE occurred in 8.2% of the ACS group and 10.2% of the non-ACS group (P = 0.54). A definite ST was identified in one patient in each group (P = 0.75). The unadjusted cumulative event rates estimated by the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test showed no significant difference between the groups for TLR, target vessel revascularization (TVR), all-cause death, or MACE. In conclusion, EES was safe and efficacious for patients presenting with ACS, as well as for those with non-ACS during a mid-term follow-up period. (Int Heart J 2012; 53: 215-220)