Long Term Outcomes of MGuard Stent Deployment in Saphenous Vein Grafts and Native Coronary Arteries: A Single Center Experience

The MGuard™ stent (InspireMD, Tel Aviv, Israel) is a bare metal mesh-covered stent, developed to prevent no-reflow phenomenon during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) of saphenous vein grafts (SVG) and acute myocardial infarction (MI), both associated with significant atherothrombotic lesions.To report on local experience with patients treated with the MGuard stent until follow-up at 1 year.We followed 163 consecutive patients who underwent MGuard stent deployment during the period 2009 to 2014 in a large tertiary cardiac center in central Israel.The MGuard stent was used in 67% of patients who underwent SVG-PCI while 33% were treated for native coronary artery disease, the majority during ST-elevation MI (STEMI). The mean age was 67 years and 83% were males. The clinical presentation was STEMI in 30% and non-STEMI/unstable angina in 60% of patients. Of the total number of patients, 47% had diabetes and 29% had chronic kidney disease. All patients had follow-up at 1 year. Mortality in the native group was 1.9% vs. 10% in the vein graft cohort. ST was 2% in both groups. The major adverse cardiac event (MACE) rates were 11% in the native artery and 29% in the vein graft group, mainly due to respective target lesion revascularization/target vessel revascularization rates of 6% and 7% in the native vessel group and 11% and 15% in the SVG group.In suitable patients undergoing SVG-PCI or native lesion intervention during acute MI, the MGuard stent is a viable treatment strategy. Its potential merits and limitations warrant further evaluation.