[Initial results and 6 month clinical follow-up after implantation of a silicon carbide coated coronary stent].
OBJECTIVE
To present the initial Spanish experience with the Tenax coronary stent, a laser sculpted from high-precision 316L stainless steel coated with hydrogen rich amorphous silicon carbide that reduces thrombogenecity and improves biocompatibility.


METHODS
From July 1998 to July 1999, 206 patients (62 +/- 5 years) underwent implantation of 231 Tenax stents in 9 centers as the only revascularization procedure. The most frequent clinical indication was unstable angina (66%), and most of the lesions were complex (class B2 and C). The target vessels were the left anterior descending (51%) and right coronary arteries (36%). The ejection fraction was < 0.5 in 19% cases.


RESULTS
Revascularization was complete in 70%, elective in 80%, and the implantation was direct in 25% of the cases. The procedure was successful in all the lesions, reducing stenosis from 62 +/- 16 to 16 +/- 10% and increasing the minimal luminal diameter from 0.81 +/- 0.40 to 2.61 +/- 0.59 mm. The TIMI flow was reduced in 30%, but normalized after the stent in all but one case. The incidence of cardiac events was minimal: 1 acute thrombosis (0.5%) resolved by a new angioplasty and 1 non-Q myocardial infarction (0.5%). At the 6-month clinical follow-up 10% of the patients presented complaints of angina greater than class II, and a new angioplasty was carried out in 1.9% of these cases.


CONCLUSIONS
Clinical and angiographic data suggest that the hydrogenated silicon carbide coating of the Tenax coronary stent may indeed play a beneficial role in patient outcome, and should therefore be evaluated by prospective clinical trials.
Fournier
J A
JA
Hospital Universitario Virgen del Rocío. Sevilla. jafournier@hvr.sas.cica.es
Calabuig
J
J
Merchán
A
A
Augé
J M
JM
Melgares
R
R
Colman
T
T
Martín De Dios
R
R
Insag
L
L
Santos
I
I
D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000628:therapy; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D017554:Carbon Compounds, Inorganic; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000601:surgery*; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization; D019919:Prosthesis Implantation; D012042:Registries; D017655:Silicon Compounds; D015607:Stents / Q000009:adverse effects; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D017554:Carbon Compounds, Inorganic; D017655:Silicon Compounds; C022088:silicon carbide