A heparin-coated stent has been reported to be effective in the prevention of restenosis in a porcine model. The aim of this study was to compare the long term effects of heparin-coated and bare stents in patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), with regard to the clinical and angiographic outcomes.

Thirty patients who underwent PCI at Chonnam National University Hospital between July 1999 and December 2000 were randomly assigned into two groups; Group I had control bare stents (n=15, 15 lesions, 59±12 years, 13 males) and Group II heparin coated stents (n=15, 15 lesions, 59±11 years, 14 males). Six months following stenting, follow-up coronary angiograms were performed in 24 (80%) patients. The average follow-up period was 22±6 months.

The initial clinical and angiographic characteristics were no different between the two groups. The reference diameters (Group I; 2.84±0.57 mm, II; 3.34±0.57 mm), minimal luminal (Group I; 2.37±0.60 mm, II; 2.60±0.59 mm) and diameter stenosis (Group I; 16.8±8.8%, II; 22.6±8.6%) following stenting, were no different between the two groups. Subacute stent thrombosis was observed in 1 patient (6.7%) of Group I. On follow-up coronary angiograms, the reference (group I; 2.46±0.34 mm, group II; 2.70±0.43 mm), minimal luminal diameters (group I; 1.47±0.59 mm, group II; 1.64±0.80 mm) and diameter stenosis (group I; 39.4±25.1%, group II; 40.8±26.1%) diameters were also no different, and restenosis was observed in 3 (25%) patients of each group. One cardiac death and 3 target vessel revascularizations were observed in each group during follow-up.

The heparin-coated coronary stents were not effective in the prevention of coronary stent restenosis.