Comparison of aspirin with a thromboxane antagonist for patients with prolonged chest pain and ST segment depression.
OBJECTIVE
To compare a thromboxane antagonist (GR3219) with aspirin in patients with prolonged chest pain and ST segment depression to see if the frequency of attacks of chest pain was reduced.


METHODS
The trial was part of a study comparing GR3219 with aspirin, and streptokinase with placebo and comprised the GR3219/aspirin leg. Thirty one patients were randomly assigned to GR3219 80 mg twice daily and 28 to aspirin 300 mg daily. The patients were under the age of 76 and admitted to a coronary care unit within 6 hours of continuous chest pain. The ECG showed at least 1 mm of flat or down-going ST segment. The patients kept diaries of their pain over the subsequent 31 days.


RESULTS
Seventy percent of patients developed further chest pain. There was no difference between the pattern of recurrent chest pain according to which drug was used.


CONCLUSIONS
The hypothesis that specific thromboxane A blockade with GR3219 would be more efficacious than aspirin was not supported by these results.
Norris
R M
RM
Coronary Care Unit, Green Lane Hospital, Auckland.
White
H D
HD
Hart
H H
HH
Williams
B F
BF
D000368:Aged; D001241:Aspirin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003325:Coronary Care Units; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006538:Heptanoic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000175:diagnosis; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012008:Recurrence; D013300:Streptokinase / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013928:Thromboxane A2 / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*
D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D006538:Heptanoic Acids; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D013928:Thromboxane A2; D013300:Streptokinase; C060013:vapiprost; D001241:Aspirin