Percutaneous coronary interventions with drug-eluting stents is currently the preferred revascularization treatment strategy for coronary artery disease. Following the first generation, the second-generation drug-eluting stents was designed with a thinner strut, better biocompatible polymer with/without bioresorbable coating or even polymer-free struts. The SUPRAFLEX stent system has ultra-thin struts (60 μm) across all stent diameters and a biodegradable polymer coating, enabling 70% of the sirolimus elution within 7 days. SUPRAFLEX has been assessed in large scale randomized controlled trials. This review summarizes the design of the SUPRAFLEX stent, the results of the pivotal clinical trials and outlines the ongoing research programs.
Keywords: drug-eluting stents; percutaneous coronary intervention; ultra-thin struts.