Favorable Vasomotor Function after Drug-Coated Balloon-Only Angioplasty of De Novo Native Coronary Artery Lesions

The role of drug-coated balloons for coronary bifurcation management: results from the prospective EASTBOURNE-BIF study

BACKGROUND

Coronary bifurcation lesions are associated with less favourable outcome as compared to other lesion subsets. The role of drug-coated balloons (DCB) for bifurcation lesions has been only investigated in small studies so far, which reported encouraging results. We here describe the results of EASTBOURNE-BIF prospective registry, in which a sirolimus-DCB was used for the treatment of bifurcation lesions.

METHODS

Overall, 194 patients with bifurcations lesions identified in the EASTBOURNE study (Medina 1.1.1/1.1.0/1.0.1/0.1.1/0.1.0) were compared with 1049 patients with de-novo lesions from the same registry. Both a blended-strategy using a drug-eluting stent in the main branch and a DCB in the side branch as well as a full-DCB approach were used in the treatment of bifurcation lesions.

RESULTS

At one year of follow-up the study primary endpoint, target-lesion revascularization occurred at a similar rate in the bifurcation group versus the de-novo group (4.2 vs. 2%, P=0.28). Similar outcomes were observed in terms of all-cause death (3.3 vs. 1.4%, P=0.138), major adverse cardiovascular events (8.8 vs. 5.2%, P=0.081) and the rate of spontaneous myocardial infarction (2.8 vs. 1.0%, P=0.117).

CONCLUSIONS

The results of EASTBOURNE-BIF study show how the use of this DCB alone or in combination with drug eluting stents could represent a safe and effective alternative to stents for the treatment of bifurcations.

Impact of Drug-Coated Balloon-Based Revascularization in Patients with Chronic Total Occlusions

Background: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a drug-eluting stent (DES) for chronic total coronary occlusions (CTOs) improves clinical symptoms and quality of life. However, data on drug-coated balloon (DCB)-based PCI in CTO lesions are limited. Methods: A total of 200 patients were successfully treated for CTO lesions, either with DCB alone or in combination with DES (DCB-based PCI). They were compared with 661 patients who underwent second-generation DES implantation for CTO from the PTRG-DES registry (DES-only PCI). The endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs), which included a composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, stent or target lesion thrombosis, target vessel revascularization, and major bleeding at 2 years. Results: In the DCB-based PCI group, 49.0% of patients were treated with DCB only and 51.0% underwent the hybrid approach combining DCB with DES. Bailout stenting was performed in seven patients (3.5%). The DCB-based PCI group exhibited fewer stents (1.0; IQR: 0.0-1.0 and 2.0; IQR: 1.0-3.0, p < 0.001), shorter stent lengths (6.5 mm; IQR: 0.0-38.0 mm and 42.0 mm; IQR: 28.0-67.0 mm, p < 0.001), and lower usage of small stents with a diameter of 2.5 mm or less (9.8% and 36.5%, p < 0.001). Moreover, the DCB-based PCI group had a lower rate of MACEs than the DES-only PCI group (3.1% and 13.2%, p = 0.001) at 2-year follow-up. Conclusions: The DCB-based PCI approach significantly reduced the stent burden, particularly in the usage of small stent diameters, and resulted in a lower risk of MACEs compared to DES-only PCI in CTO lesions.

A 2024 scientific update on the clinical performance of drug-coated balloons

Continuous advances in the field of interventional cardiology have led to the development of drug-coated balloons (DCB). These represent a promising device for overcoming the well-known limitations of traditional metallic stents, which are associated with a persistent yearly increased risk of adverse events. This technology has the ability to homogeneously transfer the drug into the vessel wall in the absence of a permanent prosthesis implanted in the coronary vessel. Robust data support the use of DCB for the treatment of in-stent restenosis, but there is also currently growing evidence from long-term follow-up of large randomised clinical trials regarding the use of these devices in other scenarios, such as de novo small and large vessel disease, complex bifurcations, and diffuse coronary disease. Other critical clinical settings such as diabetes mellitus, high bleeding risk patients and acute coronary syndromes could be approached in the upcoming future by using DCB, alone or as part of a blended strategy in combination with drug-eluting stents. There have been important scientific and technical advances in the DCB field in recent years. The purpose of this paper is to review the most current data regarding the use of DCB, including the mid- and long-term follow-up reports on the safety and efficacy of this novel strategy in different clinical and angiographic scenarios.

Stent, balloon and hybrid in de novo PCI: could the whole be greater than the sum of its parts?

Andreas Grüntzig, an ardent angiologist crafted an indeflatable sausage-shaped dual-lumen balloon- catheter, designed its delivery to the heart, launched minimally invasive coronary intervention and taught by beaming live demonstration. Subsequent advances are just incremental tweaks and tinkers around this fully formed framework from 1978. The near-immediate or instant feedback learning process by which the heart responds to any new invasive procedural variation facilitates each new change; be it drug- eluting stent, drug-coated balloon, or both in different combinations and permutations. Now with Grüntzig's balloon armed with an antiproliferative drug, it could dominate the field once more, as he originally envisaged.

Coronary Drug-Coated Balloons for De Novo and In-Stent Restenosis Indications

Drug-coated balloons are approved outside the United States, not only for the treatment of peripheral arteries but also for coronary arteries. This review describes the technological basics, the scenarios of clinical application, and the current available data from clinical trials for the different coronary indications.

Drug-Coated Balloon vs. Drug-Eluting Stents for De Novo Unprotected Left Main Stem Disease: The SPARTAN-LMS Study

The objective of this study is to compare the outcomes of patients treated with drug-coated balloons (DCBs) or second-generation drug-eluting stents (DESs) for de novo unprotected left main stem (LMS) disease. Previous studies comparing the treatment of LMS disease suggest that the mortality for DES PCI is not worse than CABG. There are limited data from studies investigating the treatment of de novo LMS disease with DCB angioplasty. We compared the all-cause and cardiac mortality of patients treated with paclitaxel DCB to those with second-generation DES for de novo LMS disease from July 2014 to November 2019. Data were analysed using Kaplan-Meier analyses and propensity-matched analyses. A total of 148 patients were treated with either a DCB or DES strategy. There was no significant difference in all-cause mortality in the DCB group (19.5%) compared to the DES group (15.9%) (HR 1.42 [0.61-3.32], p = 0.42). Regarding cardiac mortality, 2 (4.9%) were recorded for the DCB group and 7 (6.5%) for the DES group (HR 1.21 [0.31-4.67], p = 0.786); for target vessel myocardial infarction, there were 0 (0%) for the DCB group and 7 (6.5%) for the DES group; and for target lesion revascularisation, there were 3 (7.3%) in the DCB group and 9 (8.3%) in the DES group (HR: 0.89 [0.24-3.30]). p = 0.86. These remained not significant after propensity score matching. We found no difference in the mortality outcomes with DCB angioplasty compared to second-generation DES, with a median follow-up of 33 months. DCB can therefore be regarded as a safe option in the treatment of LMS disease in suitable patients.

Utilization of Drug-Coated Balloons for the Treatment of Coronary Lesions in the Elderly Population

Introduction: The use of drug-coated balloons (DCBs) has become more prevalent in the past few years for the treatment of in-stent restenosis (ISR) and de novo lesions. The absence of foreign polymer implantations potentially shortens the duration of dual anti-platelet therapy (DAPT), which can be beneficial for the elderly population. We aimed to investigate the safety and efficacy of the use of DCBs for the treatment of coronary lesions in elderly patients as compared to the younger population. Materials and methods: A database of 446 consecutive patients who underwent a procedure of DCB inflation in our institution was divided into two groups, below 70 years old and above 80 years old. We compared and analyzed the endpoints of total major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), cardiovascular (CV) death, and all-cause mortality in both groups. Results: The difference in MACE between the two age groups was non-significant (p = 0.225); the difference in cardiovascular death was also non-significant (p = 0.086). All-cause mortality was significantly different (p < 0.0001) and can be attributed to the age of the patients. Conclusion: The utilization of DCBs for the treatment of coronary lesions may be as safe and effective for the elderly population as for the younger population and may allow a shorter period of DAPT therapy, which can lower the risk of bleeding.

Mid-Term Clinical Outcomes Following Drug-Coated Balloons in Coronary Artery Disease

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the mid-term efficacy of drug-coated balloons (DCB) in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in two different pathophysiologic scenarios. Background: There are different underlying pathological processes in coronary artery disease. Mid-term safety and efficacy of DCB approach is still limited. Methods: Medical records of all consecutive patients undergoing DCB were evaluated. The primary endpoint was the rate of clinically driven target lesion revascularization (TLR) after 24 months. Results: Between January 2011 and December 2017, 442 patients were included, representing 4.4% of all PCIs in our institution. A total of 460 DCB lesions were treated, of which 328 (71.3%) were de novo and 132 (28.7%) were combined bare metal or drug-eluting stents with in-stent restenosis (ISR). The patients’ mean age was 66.2 ± 11.7 years with a diabetes prevalence of 45.3%. The TLR rate was lower in the de novo group (5.3%) compared to the ISR group (9.4%) (p = 0.04). No differences were observed in major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) between the de novo group (38.9%) and ISR group (42.5%) (p = 0.47). No significant differences were detected in the TLR occurrence in the subgroup analysis. Conclusion: Our extended experience demonstrates that the mid-term DCB approach in these two pathophysiologic settings represent a reasonable option, with low TLR rate.