Use of endothelial progenitor capture cell stent during percutaneous treatment of coronary bifurcations: a prospective angiographic registry.

BACKGROUND The treatment of bifurcation lesions remains a challenge with poor immediate results and higher restenosis rate than in nonbifurcated lesions. Drug-eluting stents improve the outcome after coronary stenting, but are associated with a small but statistically significant increase in late and very late stent thrombosis. Thus, aim of the present study was to evaluate the angiographic and clinical results of a new type of stent (coated with murine monoclonal antihuman CD34 antibodies designed to attract circulating endothelial progenitor cells to rapidly establish a functional endothelial layer and promote healing stent implantation) in a cohort of consecutive patients with coronary bifurcation lesions. METHODS AND RESULTS Between December 2007 and July 2008, a total of 43 consecutive patients were enrolled and 47 consecutive bifurcation lesions were treated with endothelial progenitor capture cell stents. The angiographic end points binary restenosis rate inside the stent (within 5 mm of the stent edges or in the segments treated with balloon angioplasty) was 5% (2.1% in the main branch and 10.5% in the side branch). No stent thrombosis was observed. Clinical follow-up was completed in all patients at mean time of 34.5 days after percutaneous coronary interventions by clinical evaluation and 12.3 months with a telephone contact. Angina at rest was present in 3 patients (7.9%). No in-hospital, 30-days, or 12-months major adverse cardiac events (death, myocardial infarction, and repeat revascularization coronary artery bypass graft or percutaneous coronary angioplasty) were reported. CONCLUSIONS The use of endothelial progenitor capture cell in the setting of coronary bifurcation appears to be feasible and safe with no incidence of late stent thrombosis and a very low rate of repeated revascularization.