Introduction and objectives: The main problems associated with coronary stent implantation are subacute thrombosis and vascular and hemorrhagic complications due to the intensive anticoagulant regime. We studied the complications and the six-month restenosis rate after the elective implantation of a Wiktor stent in patients treated only with antiplatelet drugs.
Patients and methods: The WINE study is an open, observational, multicenter study that included 368 patients (380 lesions) from 11 Spanish hospitals. All patients were treated with aspirin (125-325 mg/day) and ticlopidine (250 mg/12 h for 4 weeks). After hospitalization, a clinical control and clinical and angiographic controls were performed at one and six months respectively.
Results: 27 patients were excluded after the procedure because of failed delivery of the stent (5 cases), suboptimal angiographic result (15 cases) or lack of adherence to the antithrombotic regime (7 cases). Among the 341 patients with an adequate result most lesions (76.2%) were type B, including 39.1% type B2 and 8.5% type C. Subacute stent occlusion occurred in two patients (0.6%). Seven patients (2.1%) had vascular complications related to the arterial puncture. No major hemorrhagic complications needing transfusion were found. At six months 64 patients (19.8%) showed angiographic restenosis.
Conclusions: When the angiographic result after Wiktor stent placement is adequate, the therapy with aspirin and ticlopidine is associated with a very low stent thrombosis rate as well as with a low rate of vascular complications and 6 month angiographic restenosis.