title: Concept of the homemade coronary stent: experimental results and initial clinical experience.
abstract: To defray the escalating cost of coronary stenting, we handmade a balloon expandable coil stent with stainless steel wire. Preliminary comparison with the Palmaz-Schatz stent showed that, when implanted in porcine iliac arteries, there was no difference in immediate angiographic results or in the degree of foreign body reaction at 6 wk. Subsequently, a total of 73 stents were implanted in 52 patients, either as a bailout device (54%) or for suboptimal angiographic results (46%). All but two implantations were successful. The postprocedural regimen consisted of heparin 1,000 IU/hr, aspirin 250 mg daily, and ticlopidine 500 mg daily. In-hospital complications were limited to two groin hematomas, one necessitating blood transfusion. Importantly, stent thrombosis was not observed. While 6-mo follow-up is pending, we already conclude that a balloon expandable coil stent can be handmade easily at low cost and implanted safely in patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, University Hospital Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: I K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: De Scheerder
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kerdsinchai
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Verbeken
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Desmet
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dens
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Wilczek
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Humbeeck
authors.forename: J H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Piessens
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002404:Catheterization / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D003331:Coronary Vessels / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004867:Equipment Design; D004869:Equipment Safety; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015607:Stents / Q000191:economics; D013552:Swine