Impact of the everolimus-eluting stent on stent thrombosis: A meta-analysis of 13 randomized trials

Objectives: We evaluated the impact of the everolimus-eluting stent (EES) on the frequency of stent thrombosis (ST), target vessel revascularization (TVR), myocardial infarction (MI), and cardiac death in randomized controlled trials comparing the EES to noneverolimus-eluting drug-eluting stents (EE-DES). Background: Whether or not the unique properties of the EES translate into reductions in ST remains unknown. Methods: We searched MEDLINE, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and Internet sources for articles comparing outcomes between EES and nonEE-DES without language or date restriction. Randomized controlled trials reporting the frequency of ST were included. Variables relating to patient and study characteristics and clinical endpoints were extracted. Results: We identified 13 randomized trials (n = 17,101) with a weighted mean follow-up of 21.7 months. Compared with nonEE-DES, the EES significantly reduced ST (relative risk [RR]: 0.55; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.38 to 0.78; p = 0.001), TVR (RR: 0.77; 95% CI: 0.64 to 0.92; p = 0.004), and MI (RR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.64 to 0.96; p = 0.02). There was no difference in cardiac mortality between the groups (RR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.74 to 1.16; p = 0.38). The treatment effect was consistent by different follow-up times and duration of clopidogrel use. The treatment effects increased with higher baseline risks of the respective control groups with the strongest correlation observed for ST (R ² = 0.89, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Intracoronary implantation of the EES is associated with highly significant reductions in ST with concordant reductions in TVR and MI compared to nonEE-DES. Whether these effects apply to different patient subgroups and DES types merits further investigation.