Coronary Artery Diseases
Effectiveness of early coronary angioplasty and abciximab for failed thrombolysis (reteplase or alteplase) during acute myocardial infarction (results from the GUSTO-III trial)

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Abstract

We evaluated the effects of abciximab treatment during early angioplasty after clinically failed thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction. In the Global Use of Strategies To Open occluded coronary arteries (GUSTO-III) trial of reteplase versus alteplase for acute infarction (n = 15,059), 392 patients underwent angioplasty a median of 3.5 hours after thrombolysis and had complete procedural data. We compared 30-day mortality and in-hospital outcomes between patients who received abciximab (n = 83) and those who did not (n = 309), and (among patients given abciximab) between those randomized to alteplase versus reteplase. Patients given abciximab had anterior infarction less often, but were more often in Killip classes III or IV. The 30-day mortality rate tended to be lower with abciximab (3.6% vs 9.7%, p = 0.076), more so after adjustment for baseline differences (p = 0.042). The composite of death, stroke, or reinfarction did not differ significantly with abciximab treatment (12% vs 14%, p = 0.7), but it occurred less often among abciximab-treated patients who had been randomized to reteplase (n = 55) versus alteplase (n = 28) (7% vs 21%, p = 0.08). Severe bleeding was increased among abciximab-treated patients (3.6% vs 1.0%, p = 0.08), despite less heparin use. No intracranial hemorrhages occurred with abciximab. The use of abciximab for early angioplasty after clinically failed thrombolysis resulted in trends toward lower 30-day mortality and increased bleeding.

Section snippets

Study design

This was a prospectively designed analysis of a subgroup of patients in the Global Use of Strategies To Open occluded coronary arteries (GUSTO-III) trial who underwent early PTCA.8 In brief, patients of any age who had ST-segment elevation ≥1 mm in 2 consecutive limb leads or ≥2 mm in 2 precordial leads, or bundle branch block <6 hours after symptom onset were eligible. Patients were excluded from GUSTO-III for factors related to bleeding or stroke risk. Patients were randomized in a 2:1 ratio

Results

Baseline characteristics and outcomes (death, stroke, reinfarction) of early PTCA patients in the analysis did not differ significantly from those of early PTCA patients who were not analyzed (Table I), except for the incidence of diabetes (15% vs. 22%) and United States enrollment (82% vs. 56%).

Discussion

Our analysis of patients with AMI undergoing early PTCA (within 24 hours of thrombolysis) in the GUSTO-III trial supports the concept that concomitant abciximab may offer substantial benefit to these patients. In most studies, patients undergoing “rescue” PTCA after failed thrombolysis have had higher mortality than patients with successful reperfusion.1, 4 In this study, abciximab given during early PTCA after clinically failed thrombolysis was associated with a trend toward lower 30-day

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  • One-year clinical outcome of patients treated with or without abciximab in rescue coronary angioplasty

    2013, International Journal of Cardiology
    Citation Excerpt :

    We found a low incidence of major bleedings and vascular complications without significant differences in between the groups treated with or without abciximab. These findings are consistent with some authors [12] but in conflict with others who report a trend [11] or a significant increase [20] in major bleedings in patients treated with abciximab. The lower risk of bleedings and vascular complications observed in our population is in line with recent findings [21] and is probably related to a wide use of radial approach, weight adjusted heparin doses, smaller sheath size.

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The GUSTO-III trial was funded by a grant from Boehringer-Mannheim Therapeutics, Mannheim, Germany, and Gaithersburg, Maryland.

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