ABSTRACT
The safety and efficacy of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has continuously improved since its inception nearly 40 years ago. The breathtaking growth of PCI reflects its widespread acceptance as the preferred revascularization strategy, surpassing coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG). The stents were crimped on the coronary angioplasty balloon by the interventional cardiologists, a method that was prone to stent loss. Drug-eluting stents (DES) were introduced into clinical practice more than 10 years ago. The available stents may vary in their metallic composition, strut design and thickness, delivery system, and coating. The use of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-covered stents has been evaluated in saphenous vein graft (SVG) interventions. The Xience everolimus-eluting stent (EES) has a strut thickness of 81 pm, and is coated with a 7.6 pm thick, nonerodible, copolymer of polyvinylidene fluoride co-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) and PBMA, which facilitates elution of everolimus over 120 days.
