A Comparison of Drug-eluting Stents for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention – Background, Rationale and Design of the COMPARE Trial

Abstract

Drug-eluting stents (DES) can reduce the risk of restenosis associated with percutaneous intervention procedures. However, the first-generation sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) and paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) are associated with a higher rate of stent thrombosis compared with bare-metal stents (BMS). Recently, an everolimus-eluting stent (EES) has been developed and data from randomised, controlled trials have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of the EES in the treatment of coronary artery disease. The randomised, all-comer, real-world COMPARE trial has compared the clinical outcomes achieved with two DES (EES and PES) in a real-world setting. It was a physician-initiated, single-centre, openlabel, randomised, all-comer, real-world study. The study was designed to allow an evaluation of stent efficacy and safety in a real-world setting with a diverse and complex population. Accordingly, the results are intended to provide more patient-orientated rather than device-orientated data. Preliminary results from the COMPARE trial suggest that the EES is safe and efficacious in the diverse patient population of the study.