<International Circulation>: Would you please share with us the key points of your presentation at this congress entitled “New Advances in DES”?

    Dr Patel: I think at this stage it is still hope because we have not seen clinical data to say there are key advances yet. The hope is that we will change the platforms that the drugs are on. When I think of a drug-eluting stent， there are three parts: there is the metallic stent itself， which may be changed into bioabsorbable material; there is the polymer; and then there is the actual drug itself. With regards to the drug itself， we have made some small but important incremental differences. I think we have a sense of what drugs work for restenosis but they are not substantially changing my view of it. However the polymer and the stent platform are. If we get to the point where we don’t have a residual polymer or we don’t have a metallic stent and we actually have bioabsorbable stents， then that will be a substantial move forward. The key limitation at this point is radial strength and the ability to keep the artery open acutely when you do an intervention.

 《国际循环》：您在大会上发表了“药物洗脱支架新进展”的演讲，能否与我们分享一下您演讲的主要内容？
    Patel教授：目前，我们还没有看到关键进展的临床数据，因此我还在期待。我希望能够改进载药平台。药物洗脱支架包括三个部分：金属支架本身（也可为生物可吸收材料制成）；多聚物和药物涂层。至于药物涂层，我们做了一些小的但是重要的改进。我想，我们都知道哪些药物能够有效预防再狭窄，但是这方面没什么大的进展。多聚物和支架平台方面则不同了。如果我们认为不需要应用会残留的多聚物支架或金属支架，而是使用生物可吸收支架的话，那么这将是一个重大进展。目前的主要限制为支架的径向支撑力以及在置入支架时撑开动脉。