The aim of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of biodegradable-polymer (BP) drug-eluting stents (DES), bare metal stents (BMS), and durable-polymer DES in patients undergoing coronary revascularization, we performed a systematic review and network meta-analysis using a Bayesian framework.

Study stents included BMS, paclitaxel-eluting (PES), sirolimus-eluting (SES), endeavor zotarolimus-eluting (ZES-E), cobalt–chromium everolimus-eluting (CoCr-EES), platinium–chromium everolimus-eluting (PtCr-EES), resolute zotarolimus-eluting (ZES-R), and BP biolimus-eluting stents (BP-BES). After a systematic electronic search, 113 trials with 90 584 patients were selected. The principal endpoint was definite or probable stent thrombosis (ST) defined according to the Academic Research Consortium within 1 year.

Biodegradable polymer-biolimus-eluting stents [OR, 0.56; 95% credible interval (CrI), 0.33–0.90], SES (OR, 0.53; 95% CrI, 0.38–0.73), CoCr-EES (OR, 0.34; 95% CrI, 0.23–0.52), and PtCr-EES (OR, 0.31; 95% CrI, 0.10–0.90) were all superior to BMS in terms of definite or probable ST within 1 year. Cobalt–chromium everolimus-eluting stents demonstrated the lowest risk of ST of all stents at all times after stent implantation. Biodegradable polymer-biolimus-eluting stents was associated with a higher risk of definite or probable ST than CoCr-EES (OR, 1.72; 95% CrI, 1.04–2.98). All DES reduced the need for repeat revascularization, and all but PES reduced the risk of myocardial infarction compared with BMS.

All DESs but PES and ZES-E were superior to BMS in terms of ST within 1 year. Cobalt–chromium everolimus-eluting stents was safer than any DES even including BP-BES. Our results suggest that not only the biodegradability of polymer, but the optimal combination of stent alloy, design, strut thickness, polymer, and drug all combined determine the safety of DES.