Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefits of sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) and paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) as compared with bare-metal stents (BMS) in patients undergoing primary angioplasty.
Background: Recent concerns have emerged on the potential higher risk of stent thrombosis after drug-eluting stent implantation, especially among ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients.
Methods: We randomly assigned STEMI patients admitted within 12 h of symptom onset undergoing primary angioplasty and stent implantation to BMS, PES, or SES. The primary study end point was target lesion revascularization at 1-year follow-up. All patients were reviewed at our outpatient clinic or by telephone interview at 6, 12, and 24 months.
Results: From October 2003 to December 2005, 270 STEMI patients undergoing primary angioplasty were randomized to BMS (n = 90), PES (n = 90), or SES (n = 90). No patient was lost to follow-up. As compared with BMS (14.4%), both PES (4.4%, p = 0.023) and SES (3.3%, p = 0.016) were associated with a significant reduction in target lesion revascularization at 1-year follow-up. At 2-year follow-up no difference was observed in terms of death, reinfarction, and combined death and/or reinfarction, but as compared with BMS, both PES and SES were associated with significant benefits in major adverse cardiac events (PES: 16.7%, p = 0.015; SES: 15.6%, p = 0.009, respectively).
Conclusions: This study shows that among STEMI patients undergoing primary angioplasty, both SES and PES are safe and associated with significant benefits in terms of target lesion revascularization up to the 2-year follow-up. Thus, until the results of further large randomized trials with long-term follow-up become available, drug-eluting stents may be considered for STEMI patients undergoing primary angioplasty. (PaclitAxel or Sirolimus-Eluting Stent versus Bare Metal Stent in Primary Angioplasty [PASEO] Randomized Trial; NCT00759850).