Macrophage behaviour 72 hours after implantation of biodegradable polymer-based sirolimus-eluting stent in a case of ST elevation myocardial infarction

While the vascular healing process after drug-eluting stent implantation is not fully elucidated, it is generally accepted that macrophages play an important role in inflammation. It is also known that macrophages involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis may stem from several origins, that is, monocyte-derived macrophages versus resident macrophages. However, little is known about the role of human macrophages on reperfusion of culprit coronary arteries in patients with atherosclerotic disease who have sustained acute coronary syndrome. In this present case report, we describe the presence of cluster of differentiation (CD) 163-positive macrophages in close proximity to the stent struts at the luminal site 72 hours after drug-eluting stent implantation in the culprit coronary lesion for ST elevation myocardial infarction by postmortem examination.