title: New drug-eluting stents with biodegradable polymers.
abstract: Current drug-eluting stents (DES) perform well compared to bare metal stents. However, long-term rates of major adverse events and in particular repeat revascularization by PCI are still an issue. In this concise review we will discuss the possibilities of biodegradable coatings to improve biocompatibility of DES. Among the various members of the synthetic biodegradable polymer family, polyesters are widely used and attractive for their ease of degradation, with degradation products often being resorbed through general metabolic pathways. A new development is surface functionalization of polyesters to improve endothelialization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. w.j.vandergiessen@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Van Der Giessen
authors.forename: H M M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Van Beusekom
mesh_terms: D020341:Absorbable Implants; D054855:Drug-Eluting Stents; D011108:Polymers; D011474:Prosthesis Design; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D011108:Polymers