The Ultimaster stent (Terumo Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) is a thin-strut (80 μm) cobalt–chromium sirolimus-eluting stent with an open-cell design [9 (link)]. Sirolimus is embedded in a biodegradable polymer coating (poly-D, L-lactic acid polycaprolactone) that is fully metabolized through dl-lactide and caprolactone into carbon dioxide and water in 3–4 months. The gradient coating reduces polymer cracking and delamination at the stent hinges. The coating is applied on the abluminal side of the struts only, and a bare metal stent remains after resorption of the coating in 3–4 months. For the current study, stent lengths of 12, 15, 18, 24, 28, 33, and 38 mm were available with a diameter of 2.25 mm.
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