Editorial

Stent thrombosis is a major clinical problem associated with a high rate of mortality.1,2 The development of drug-eluting stents has significantly reduced restenosis compared with bare metal stents as a result of the antiproliferative agents inhibiting vascular smooth muscle (VSMC) prolifera-tion. However, the rate of stent thrombosis associated with drug-eluting stents continues to be a major concern, with rates between 0.3 and 1.1 % within 3 years.1 Thrombosis is likely in part attributable to the fact that the antiproliferative drugs also inhibit re-endothelization of the vessel. Furthermore, patients with chronic renal failure have worse outcomes after stenting and have as much as an 8-fold increase in 1-year cardiac mor-tality after coronary intervention.3 Article see p 365 Tissue factor (TF) is a transmembrane protein that trig-gers blood coagulation.4 It has been proposed that TF plays