One-Year Clinical Results With the Slow-Release, Polymer-Based, Paclitaxel-Eluting TAXUS Stent

BACKGROUND: The safety and efficacy of the slow-release, polymer-based, paclitaxel-eluting stent after implantation in a broad cross section of de novo coronary lesions at 1 year are unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: In the TAXUS-IV trial, 1314 patients with single de novo coronary lesions 10 to 28 mm in length, with reference-vessel diameter 2.5 to 3.75 mm, coverable by a single study stent, were prospectively randomized to the slow-release, polymer-based, paclitaxel-eluting TAXUS stent or an identical-appearing bare-metal EXPRESS stent. By actuarial analysis, the TAXUS stent compared with the bare-metal stent reduced the 12-month rates of target-lesion revascularization by 73% (4.4% versus 15.1%, P