Benefit of an early invasive management strategy in women with acute coronary syndromes.
BACKGROUND
Women who present with acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) have different characteristics than men. Reports have conflicted about whether different outcomes exist for women with use of a routine invasive management strategy. However, these studies were performed prior to the widespread use of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors and intracoronary stents.


OBJECTIVE
To determine sex differences in baseline characteristics and outcomes in ACS and whether women benefit from a contemporary early invasive management strategy.


METHODS
Prospective analysis of women and men enrolled in the TACTICS-TIMI 18 randomized trial, conducted December 1997 to December 1999 in 169 centers in 9 countries in North America and Europe, with follow-up at 1 and 6 months.


METHODS
A total of 2220 patients (757 women and 1463 men) with ACS.


METHODS
All patients received aspirin, 325 mg/d; intravenous unfractionated heparin; and tirofiban for 48 hours or until revascularization, with tirofiban administered for at least 12 hours after percutaneous coronary revascularization. Patients assigned to the early invasive strategy (n = 1114) underwent coronary angiography 4 to 48 hours after randomization and revascularization when appropriate. Patients assigned to the early conservative strategy (n = 1106) were treated medically and underwent coronary angiography and appropriate revascularization only if they met specified criteria.


METHODS
Baseline characteristics and the primary composite end point of death, myocardial infarction, or rehospitalization for ACS at 6 months in women and men assigned to early invasive vs conservative management.


RESULTS
Women were older and more frequently had hypertension (P<.001 for both). Women less frequently had previous myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting, and elevations in cardiac markers (P<.001 for all), but there was no difference in distribution of TIMI risk scores (P =.76). Angiography and intervention rates were similar, but women had less severe coronary artery disease, including no critical lesions in 17% of women vs 9% of men (P<.001). Women had a 28% odds reduction in the primary end point with an early invasive strategy (adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.47-1.11), similar to the benefit in men (adjusted OR, 0.64; 95% CI, 0.47-0.88; P =.60 for sex interaction). When adjusted for baseline characteristics, the benefit of invasive therapy in women with elevated troponin T levels was further enhanced (adjusted OR, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.26-0.83).


CONCLUSIONS
Despite differences between women and men in baseline characteristics, the benefit of an early invasive strategy incorporating tirofiban and intracoronary stents was similar in women and men and was enhanced in women presenting with markers of increased risk.
Glaser
Ruchira
R
Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. howard.herrmann@uphs.upenn.edu
Herrmann
Howard C
HC
Murphy
Sabina A
SA
Demopoulos
Laura A
LA
DiBattiste
Peter M
PM
Cannon
Christopher P
CP
Braunwald
Eugene
E
D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D015607:Stents; D016019:Survival Analysis; D000077466:Tirofiban; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D020107:Troponin T; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D000925:Anticoagulants; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex; D020107:Troponin T; D014443:Tyrosine; D000077466:Tirofiban