Statins and EPC-capture stents Importantly, the number of circulating EPCs positively correlates with a favorable clinical outcome. Only patients with a low number of EPC sustained MACE and ISR at 6 months follow-up, which shows that the endogenous capacity to mobilise the EPC is very important in vascular healing after stent implantation. HEALING II patients on statins had an approximately twofold increase in the EPC number when compared to patients without statins. The safe and efficient way to mobilise cells is statin therapy which does not only significantly increase the number of EPC, but also improves their functional capacity. This is a particularly important issue in patients with diabetes and in the elderly, where the number of EPCs is significantly lower in comparison to younger and non-diabetic subjects. Also, the functional capacity of the EPCs is impaired in patients with diabetes and multiple CVD risk factors.