Background and objectiveDiffuse coronary artery disease (CAD) is associated with extensive involvement of coronary arteries, necessitating the use of long (≥40 mm) drug-eluting stents (DES) based on the lesion length. However, these long DES can lead to complications such as in-stent restenosis (ISR) and stent thrombosis. This study aimed to assess the safety, efficacy, and one-year clinical outcomes of using long DES in patients with diffuse CAD undergoing PCI at a tertiary care hospital in north India.MethodologyPatients with diffuse CAD undergoing PCI with long DES between January 2017 and June 2022 were included in the study. Baseline characteristics were recorded, and patients were followed up telephonically or in the outpatient department (OPD) at one, three, six, and 12 months following the PCI. The primary endpoint was the target lesion failure (TLF) rate, with secondary endpoints constituting all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), subacute stent thrombosis, and ISR.ResultsA total of 200 patients were recruited and followed up for one year. The median age of the patients was 58 years (range: 48.25-63 years), and 82% were men. The most frequently stented artery was the left anterior descending (LAD, 48%), followed by the right coronary artery (RCA, 36%). A total of 388 stents (mean: 1.94 ±0.79) were implanted, including both long and short stents. The mean length and diameter of long stents were 43.64 ±3.58 mm and 3 ±0.37 mm, respectively. At the one-year follow-up, patients undergoing PCI with long DES ≥40 mm had an overall TLF rate of 5%, all-cause mortality of 6% (12 patients), MACE of 6% (12 patients), subacute stent thrombosis of 4% (eight patients), and ISR of 1% (two patients). A large proportion of patients (90%) had an uneventful follow-up of up to a year. At the one-year follow-up, all 10 (5%) patients with a primary outcome had a smaller stent diameter than those without a primary outcome (2.5 ±0.25 mm vs. 3.03 ±0.35 mm, p=0.015).ConclusionsOur results suggest that using extremely long stents (>40 mm) for diffuse coronary lesions is safe, efficacious, and associated with relatively low event rates. In addition, the stent diameter has a substantial correlation with the primary outcome. Further studies with larger sample sizes as well as longer follow-up periods are required to validate our findings.