Real-life data regarding acute procedural success and 1-year clinical outcome of desolve bioresorbable scaffolds

Safety and efficacy of new-generation coronary bioresorbable scaffolds

INTRODUCTION

The concept of bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) was born with the aim to reduce the rate of late and very late cardiac events related to drug-eluting stents. However, first-generation BRS failed to prove their short-term safety and efficacy. Based on data derived from early investigations, new-generation BRS have been developed and tested in preliminary studies. The present review's focus was to summarize the mechanical characteristics of these new scaffolds and the clinical evidence of their safety and efficacy.

EVIDENCE ACQUISITION

This systematic review was performed following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). PUBMED, Google Scholar, and Biomed central databases were analyzed. Only papers published in English and in peer-reviewed journals were selected to summarize current evidence about new generation BRS, with CE mark approval. Overall, 23 studies were included.

EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS

Data obtained from selected studies assessing the safety and efficacy of new generation BRS are encouraging. This is thanks to the progressive development of scaffolds with a different backbone structure and struts thickness that guarantee higher radial strength, flexibility, and resistance to fracture. These characteristics led to low rates of major adverse cardiac events and device-oriented composite endpoint at follow-up.

CONCLUSIONS

New-generation BRS have a good safety profile in stable patients with simple lesions, supported by a meticulous implantation technique. The first studies were performed on a small population with short-term follow-up, therefore new randomized clinical trials and registries are needed to expand the preliminary findings.

Smart materials in cardiovascular implants: Shape memory alloys and shape memory polymers

Smart materials have intrinsic properties that change in a controlled fashion in response to external stimuli. Currently, the only smart materials with a significant clinical impact in cardiovascular implant design are shape memory alloys, particularly Nitinol. Recent prodigious progress in material science has resulted in the development of sophisticated shape memory polymers. In this article, we have reviewed the literature and outline the characteristics, advantages, and disadvantages of shape memory alloys and shape memory polymers which are relevant to clinical cardiovascular applications, and describe the potential of these smart materials for applications in coronary stents and transcatheter valves.

Outcomes of the novolimus-eluting bioresorbable vascular scaffold in real world clinical practice

BACKGROUND

Most of the current data regarding the use of bioresorbable scaffolds (BRS) come from everolimus-eluting stent platforms. Adverse events with the everolimus-eluting BRSs which are the most comprehensively characterized BRS, hampered the clinical use of other BRS. There is paucity of published data regarding long term use of novolimus-eluting BRS.

METHODS

This study sought to evaluate the performance of novolimus-eluting BRS device at midterm follow-up in real world clinical practice. One hundred and forty-four patients (mean age 57.5±9.7 years, 78.5% male) treated with 206 scaffolds between October 2015 and December 2017 were enrolled. A device-oriented composite endpoint (DOCE) comprising cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI), clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) and rate of scaffold thrombosis were investigated.

RESULTS

During a mean follow-up of 33±9 months, DOCE occurred in 9 patients (6.3%) of which cardiac death occurred in 2 patients (1.4%), and clinically driven TLR in 7 patients (4.9%), TV-MI in one patient. Target vessel revascularization (TVR) was observed in nine patients. None of the patients experienced scaffold thrombosis.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of novolimus-eluting BRS in this real-world population achieved good clinical outcomes.