Low-pressure deployment of stents: short- and long-term outcome

This study investigates a strategy of low-pressure stenting with concomitant anti-platelet treatment designed to prevent short- and long-term events after stenting. Ninety consecutive patients who underwent percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty with stenting using low-pressure stent deployment (mean 8.1 atmospheres) with concomitant anti-platelet therapy based on ticlopidine and aspirin were followed. The 30-day outcome revealed a stent thrombosis rate of 6.4%, while the 9-month major clinical event rate was 8.6%. Low-pressure stent deployment appears to confer added risk for acute or sub-acute thrombosis even when aspirin and ticlopidine are used. Conversely, low-pressure inflation is associated with excellent long-term results.