Comparison of two biodegradable‐polymer‐based sirolimus‐eluting stents with varying elution and absorption kinetics in patients with acute myocardial infarction: A subgroup analysis of the PANDA III trial

BACKGROUND: Implantation of early-generation metallic drug-eluting stents (DES) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is associated with poor vessel wall healing. Use of biodegradable polymer (BP) DES might improve safety outcomes; however, the impact of varying drug elution and polymer absorption kinetics of BP-DES on clinical outcomes in the AMI population is unknown. METHODS: This subgroup analysis of the randomized PANDA III trial included 732 patients (366 in each group) presenting with recent (<1 month) AMI. Primary endpoint was 1-year target lesion failure (TLF), a composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (MI), or ischemia-driven target lesion revascularization. Secondary endpoints included a patient-oriented composite endpoint (PoCE) of all-cause death, all MI, or any revascularization; individual TLF and PoCE components; and definite/probable stent thrombosis (ST). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between-groups in baseline clinical, angiographic, or procedural characteristics other than the proportion of post-dilatation, which was performed more frequently with the BuMA stent (53.9% vs. 44.5%; P = 0.004). After 1 year, compared to Excel SES implantation in patients with AMI, BuMA was associated with similar incidences of TLF and PoCE (5.5% vs. 8.3%, P = 0.14; 8.8% vs. 9.9%, P = 0.61, respectively) but lower incidences of MI (2.5% vs. 6.1%, P = 0.02), target vessel MI (2.2% vs. 5.8%, P = 0.01), and definite/probable ST (0.3% vs. 2.2%, P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: BuMA SES, with faster drug elution rate and polymer absorption kinetics, might improve safety outcomes compared to Excel SES in the high-risk AMI population.