JAMA Cardiol

Reaching LDL-C targets after STEMI may reduce neoatherosclerosis and late stent failure

January 6, 2026

Neoatherosclerosis at 3 years was reduced in those who reached LDL-C targets recommended by guidelines, in this secondary analysis of the CONNECT trial (NCT03440801) of STEMI patients treated with primary PCI and drug-eluting stents.

The multi-center CONNECT trial (Switzerland, Japan) randomized 239 STEMI patients to PCI with biodegradable vs. durable everolimus-eluting stents (2017- 2020). In this secondary analysis (N=178; mean age, 63 years; female, 15%) neoatherosclerosis at 3 years, determined by optical coherence tomography, was reduced in subjects who achieved target LDL-C vs. those who didn’t. In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, LDL-C on treatment was an independent determinant of neoatherosclerosis (odds ratio, 1.46; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-2.01; p=0.01).

Source:

Häner JD, et al. (2025, December 17). JAMA Cardiol. Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Levels and Neoatherosclerosis After STEMI: A Secondary Analysis of the CONNECT Randomized Clinical Trial. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41405905/