Published ZEUS Findings Support Medtronic's Endeavor Sprint ZES in Uncertain DES Candidates

March 2, 2015—Investigators in the ZEUS study concluded that using the Endeavor Sprint stent (Medtronic plc) combined with an abbreviated, tailored dual-antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) regimen resulted in a lower risk of 1-year major adverse cardiovascular events in uncertain candidates for drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation compared to treatment with a bare-metal stent using a similar duration of DAPT.

The ZEUS findings were published by Marco Valgimigli, MD, et al in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC; 2015;65:805­–815). Dr. Valgimigli, the ZEUS lead investigator, presented the findings last March at ACC.14, the 63rd annual scientific session of the American College of Cardiology, which was held in Washington, DC.

According to the investigators, the Endeavor Sprint is a hydrophilic polymer-based, second-generation zotarolimus-eluting stent (ZES) with a unique drug fast-release profile. The background of the study is that use of DESs in patients at high risk of bleeding or thrombosis has not been prospectively studied, and limited data are available in patients who have a low restenosis risk.

As summarized in JACC, the ZEUS investigators randomly assigned 1,606 patients with stable or unstable symptoms who, on the basis of thrombotic bleeding or restenosis risk criteria, qualified as uncertain candidates for DESs to receive ZESs or bare-metal stents. DAPT duration was on the basis of patient characteristics, rather than stent characteristics, and allowed for a personalized 1-month DAPT regimen. The primary endpoint was the risk of 1-year major adverse cardiovascular events, which included death, myocardial infarction, or target vessel revascularization.