Abciximab therapy and unplanned coronary stent deployment: favorable effects on stent use, clinical outcomes, and bleeding complications. EPILOG Trial Investigators.
BACKGROUND
The clinical and angiographic demographics of patients requiring unplanned coronary stent deployment and the optimal adjunct pharmacotherapy in this population are not well described. This report details the EPILOG trial experience with unplanned coronary stent deployment and the effect of abciximab platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade to improve clinical outcomes during 6 months of follow-up.


RESULTS
After randomization in the EPILOG double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of abciximab therapy during percutaneous coronary intervention, 326 (12%) of 2792 patients required unplanned coronary stent deployment. Although stented patients were not distinguished by clinical variables, they had greater coronary lesion complexity by American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology criteria (P=.003) and greater incidence of lesion length >10 mm (P=.002), lesion eccentricity (P=.027), irregular lesion contour (P=.001), and bifurcation involvement (P=.019) than nonstented patients. Unplanned stents were required less often in patients treated with abciximab and low-dose, weight-adjusted heparin than in patients receiving placebo and standard-dose heparin (9.0% versus 13.7%; P=.001). Although adverse clinical outcomes including target-vessel revascularization and bleeding events were more frequent in patients requiring unplanned coronary stent deployment, abciximab therapy reduced adverse outcomes in these patients at 30 days and 6 months to a greater extent than was observed in patients not requiring stent placement. Among stented patients, abciximab therapy did not increase bleeding events.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients requiring unplanned coronary stent deployment have more complex coronary lesion morphology and a more complicated clinical course after coronary intervention. Abciximab therapy both reduces the need for unplanned stent deployment and confers clinical benefit to patients requiring an unplanned stent, without increasing bleeding complications.
Kereiakes
D J
DJ
The Carl and Edyth Lindner Center for Clinical Cardiovascular Research, University of Cincinnati, Ohio 45219, USA. lindner@healthall.com
Lincoff
A M
AM
Miller
D P
DP
Tcheng
J E
JE
Cabot
C F
CF
Anderson
K M
KM
Weisman
H F
HF
Califf
R M
RM
Topol
E J
EJ
D000077284:Abciximab; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017225:Atherectomy, Coronary; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006493:Heparin / Q000008:administration & dosage; D006801:Humans; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D015607:Stents; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000925:Anticoagulants; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex; D006493:Heparin; D000077284:Abciximab