Dual-therapy stent technology for patients with coronary artery disease: A great catch?

This thesis investigates the possible advantages of a new stent technology that aims to improve care for patients with coronary artery disease. The COMBO stent (OrbusNeich Medical BV, The Netherlands) contains a dual-therapy stent technology. The stent combines two techniques: a sirolimus-elution with an added anti-CD34+ antibody layer for rapid endothelialisation of the stent. This anti-body layer captures circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) that can bind to the stent surface. These cells will hereafter differentiate on the stent surface into normal endothelial cells, rapidly forming a normal endothelial layer. Therefore this stent technique might safely allow a shorter duration of dual-antiplatelet therapy. This thesis focuses on clinical outcomes in patients treated with COMBO stent from the investigator-initiated, prospective, European, 1000 all-comers patients REMEDEE Registry.