PRESTIGE: PREvention of late Stent Thrombosis by the Interdisciplinary Global European Effort
Principal Investigator: Professor Tony Gershlick
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of death worldwide. In patients with symptoms of the disease, CAD is often treated with coronary angioplasty and stenting, in which mini ‘scaffolds’ are placed within the affected arteries to enable blood to flow through them more easily.
Stent thrombosis (a blood clot within the stent) is a serious complication that can occur after the implantation of a stent. Although relatively rare, stent thrombosis is associated with poor clinical outcomes and up to 50% risk of death. At present, there is no predictive risk scoring system to help guide the use of anti-thrombotic treatment.
The images below show a stented artery (left-hand side) and a stent blocked with a clot (right-hand side).
The PRESTIGE study is a European multi-centre observational study funded by the European Commission, which aims to identify new predictors of stent thrombosis and observe clinical outcomes in patients presenting with this complication. There are currently 10 centres involved in the study within the UK. Glenfield Hospital is the lead and co-ordinating site. The study aims to recruit 500 patients with stent thrombosis across Europe (50 in the UK) to develop strategies to predict and reduce the risk of coronary stent thrombosis whilst minimising the risk of bleeding.