Interference of Drug-Eluting Stents With Endothelium-Dependent Coronary Vasomotion

Background— There is evidence that endothelial coverage of drug-eluting stents might be delayed or absent, a risk factor for late thrombotic events. We studied the effects of different drug-polymer-device iterations on endothelium-dependent coronary vasomotion. Systemic markers of endothelial inflammation were correlated with coronary vasomotor changes. Methods and Results— Patients with paclitaxel-eluting stents (n=11), sirolimus-eluting stents (n=21), biolimus A9-eluting stents (n=28), zotarolimus-eluting stents (n=10), and bare-metal stents (n=13) were studied 10, 9, 9, 9, and 12 months after implantation, respectively. Endothelium-dependent coronary vasomotion was tested proximally and distally to the stent and at a reference vessel segment during atrial pacing at increasing heart rates by quantitative coronary angiography. Indexes of platelet-monocyte binding and other biomarkers were studied in a subgroup of 19 patients. The baseline characteristics and hemodynamics of the patients in the different ...