Comparison of everolimus-eluting and paclitaxel-eluting coronary stents in patients with two treated vessels: 2-year results from the SPIRIT III randomised trial

To examine the two year clinical outcomes in dual-vessel disease from the SPIRIT III trial comparing the XIENCE V(r) everolimus-eluting stent (EES) to the TAXUS Express2(tm) paclitaxel-eluting stent (PES).From a total of 1,002 randomised subjects, 103 and 51 patients in the EES and PES groups respectively underwent stenting of two lesions in two vessels (one lesion per epicardial vessel). Two-year event rates were lower in one compared to two-vessel treated patients regardless of stent type. For EES vs. PES, major adverse cardiac events (MACE=cardiac death, MI or TLR) was clinically reduced 35.0% in the single vessel patients (6.5% vs. 9.6%, p=0.09) and was significantly reduced 64% in dual vessel patients (11.9% vs. 30.1%, p=0.006). There was no significant interaction between stent type (EES vs. PES) and the number of stented vessels (two vs. single) for either 2-year TVF and MACE (interaction p values were 0.69 and 0.16, respectively).In the SPIRIT III randomised trial, patients with both single and dual vessel treatment with EES showed improved clinical outcomes at two years compared to those treated with PES. Follow-up to five years is ongoing.