title: Effectiveness and safety of drug-eluting stents in a cardiology clinic in Curitiba, PR, Brazil.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The effectiveness and safety of drug-eluting stents (DES) have still been questioned.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of these stents, as well as the incidence of target lesion revascularization (TLR), in addition to identifying possible variables influencing the need for TLR.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 203 patients from Hospital Costantini who were clinically followed up for one to 3 years were selected.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The sample characteristics were as follows: 470 lesions; 171 (84.24%) male patients; 54 (26.6%) had diabetes; 131 (64.35%) had hypertension; 127 (62.56%), dyslipidemia; 40 (19.70%) were smokers; and 79 (38.92%) had a family history of coronary artery disease. Also: 49 (24.14%) patients presented with stable angina; 58 (28.57%), unstable angina; and 6 (2.96%), myocardial infarction. Eighty five (41.87%) patients were asymptomatic, and 146 (71.92%), had multivessel disease. As for the characteristics of the lesions, 77.45% were B2/C (AHA/ACC). Taxus was implanted in 73.62% of the patients. Stents with diameter > 2.5 mm were used in 381 (81.96%) patients. The stent length was < 30 mm in 67.87% of the lesions, with a mean of 2.3 stents per patient. After follow-up, 19 patients (9.3%) underwent TLR. Four patients died (1.97%), two of them of MI (0.98%), one of stroke (0.49%), and one of abdominal aneurysm (0.49%). Also, one patient died of late thrombosis (0.49%), and one of reinfarction (0.49%). In the statistical analysis carried out, only the bifurcation lesions variable reached values close to the statistical significance level, with p < 0.06.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In conclusion, drug-eluting stents have good effectiveness and safety profiles; the incidence of TLR was 9.3%, and we did not identify a variable correlated with the need for TLR.
authors.affiliation: Hospital Cardiológico Costantini, Curitiba, PR. chiubraga@ig.com.br
authors.forename: Chiu Yun Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Braga
authors.forename: Luiz Antonio
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Rivetti
authors.forename: Francisco de Paula
authors.initials: Fde P
authors.lastname: Stella
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D054855:Drug-Eluting Stents / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017239:Paclitaxel / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D017239:Paclitaxel; D020123:Sirolimus