Bioresorbable Vascular Scaffold During ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: A Systematic Review

The bioresorbable vascular scaffold (BVS) represents a novel technology designed to overcome the long-term limitations of metallic coronary stent implantation in percutaneous coronary intervention. In this context, primary percutaneous coronary intervention in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) could be a preferred scenario for BVS implantation. Nevertheless, data on efficacy and safety are lacking in this specific subset of patients.

We conducted a systematic review to examine the safety and efficacy of BVS use in STEMI patients. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library through June 2016 for studies that included outcome data for BVS implantation in STEMI patients. Outcomes of interest included cardiac death, myocardial infarction, scaffold thrombosis, target lesion revascularization, restenosis, and composite end points.

We identified 9 eligible articles, which included 1 randomized controlled trial and 8 cohort studies (5 controlled), for a total of 846 patients. These studies varied in size (11-290) and follow-up duration (1-24 months). The incidence of major cardiac events ranged from 1.1% to 13%, with no statistically significant difference between BVS and control groups in studies that included a comparison group. Although there was a trend toward an increase in scaffold thrombosis in the largest controlled registries, no statistically significant increase was found.

Current clinical data are scarce, but suggest that BVS might represent a reasonable alternative to drug-eluting stents in STEMI patients. The lack of large randomized controlled trials with extended follow-up periods and the scaffold thrombosis signal are limiting factors for widespread use before additional large-scale trials are available.