INITIAL RESULTS WITH THE CORONARY STENT M ULTILINK

Introduction and objectives. The Multi-Link intracoronary stent is a b alloon-expandable stainless steel stent with an interconnected ring st ructure designed to provide a high degree of compressive resistance wh ile preserving longitudinal flexibility. We present the results of our initial experience with the implantation of this stent. Patients and methods. From May 1996 to April 1997, 124 Multi-link stents mere impla nted in 97 patients. Mean age 62.2 +/- 11 years. All patients included had a coronary artery diameter > 2.7 mm. Clinical presentation includ es stable angina in 20, unstable angina In 72, and myocardial infarcti on in 5 patients. According to the ACC/AHA classification 6 lesions we re type A, 72 type B and 19 type C. The implantation of the stent was for <<de novo>> lesions in 85 patients and for restenosis in 12. Patie nts mere treated after the procedure with a combination of aspirin and ticlopidine, except six of them who received aspirin and acenocumarol . 16 patients were treated additionally with Abciximab. The degree of stenosis was determined by quantitative angiography. Results. The deli very of the stent was successful in all patients. The degree of stenos is before the procedure was 79.6 +/- 13.1%, and after the stent deploy ment was 17.7 +/- 11.4%. Three patients presented a non-Q-wave myocard ial infarction, two patients had a subacute stent thrombosis, one of t hem died due to heart failure. During a follow-up of 4.7 +/- 2.6 month s five patients were readmitted with recurrent angina (4 due to resten osis and one for vessel occlusion) and one patient with heart failure after myocardial infarction died suddenly three weeks after the dilata tion. Conclusions. The Multi-Link stent was implanted successfully in all patients with a low incidence of complications, showing at the fol low-up a reduced rate of clinical restenosis.