Background: Data from clinical trials suggested that biodegradable-polymer-based drug-eluting stents (DES) might improve long-term clinical outcomes. PROLIM (Balton, Warsaw, Poland) DES is based on a stainless steel platform with a closed cell design releasing sirolimus from biodegradable copolymer (lactic and glycolic acid) in eight weeks.
Aim: In the present study the safety and the efficacy of a PROLIM stent was assessed in patients with de novo coronary lesions in 12-month clinical follow-up.
Methods: It was a single-centre, observational, prospective registry to assess the safety and efficacy of a PROLIM stent implantation in all consecutive patients with de novo coronary artery lesions treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The primary study endpoint was a composite safety (cardiac death, non-fatal myocardial infarction), and the second study endpoint was the efficacy of PROLIM implantation-clinically driven target vessel revascularisation (TVR) assessed at 12-month follow-up.
Results: One hundred patients were enrolled into the study and 118 PROLIM stents were implanted. Thirty-two (32%) patients had diabetes, 46 (46%) patients were prior PCI, and 17 (17%) patients had coronary artery bypass grafting. 67% of stented lesions were complex ones (B2/C) and 17% were bifurcations. During the 12-month follow-up primary study endpoints occurred in five (5%) patients. Two (2%) cardiac deaths were reported and three (3%) TVRs were performed, of which one was related to in-PROLIM stent restenosis.
Conclusions: PCI with biodegradable-polymer PROLIM DES seems to be safe and effective in 12-month follow-up. A larger trial is warranted to assess clinical outcomes post PROLIM stent implantation.
Keywords: biodegradable polymer; drug-eluting stents; sirolimus.