Objective To assess the clinical outcome of unselected patients undergoing drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation on bifurcated lesions using a provisional T And small Protrusion (TAP) stenting strategy Methods Consecutive patients undergoing DES implantation on one major bifurcation lesion were treated by main-vessel (MV) stenting followed (if needed) by side branch (SB) rewiring (with a pullback technique) and kissing balloon SB stenting was performed according to the TAP-technique in selected cases The endpoint of the study was a 12 month incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) defined as cardiac death myocardial infarction (MI) stent thrombosis and target vessel revascularization (TVR) Results The study population included 266 patients (9% unprotected left main) Only 19 patients (7 1%) (with more complex angiographic features) received stents in both the MV and SB using the TAP-technique Overall 22 (8 2%) patients had MACE at 1 year Observed, non-hierarchical MACE were 1 (0 4%) cardiac death 11 (4 1%) MI 2 probable stent thromboses and 12 (4 5%) TVRs Post procedural troponin T increase and adverse events up to 12 months were similar between patients treated by MV stenting only or double stenting Conclusions In unselected patients undergoing DES implantation on bifurcated lesions a provisional TAP-stenting strategy (with a low rate of SB stenting) appears to be safe and effectiv
