Effectiveness of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist abciximab during percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) in clinical practice at a single high-volume center.
OBJECTIVE
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) showed that the glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa antagonist abciximab is able to reduce ischemic complications during percutaneous transluminal coronary interventions (PCIs). Its effectiveness in daily clinical practice in unselected patients remains to be determined.


METHODS
From 7/1997 until 12/2000, 3310 PCIs were performed at the Heart Center Ludwigshafen. Out of them, 1076 (32.5%) patients were nonrandomly treated with a GP IIb/ IIa antagonist. Patients who were treated with abciximab were matched with patients not treated with abciximab. The matching procedure resulted in 590 pairs of patients.


RESULTS
Patients treated with abciximab were more likely to have a history of former PCI (13.7% versus 8.8%, p=0.008) or coronary artery bypass surgery (19.2% versus 12.8%, p=0.003). There were no differences in concomitant diseases, left ventricular function, number of vessels diseased or target vessel. However, patients treated with abciximab had a higher rate of more complex stenosis (> or =B2; 94.4% versus 80.7%, p<0.001) and a longer x-ray exposition (median 486 s versus 422 s, p<0.001). Treatment with abciximab was associated with a significantly lower incidence of the combined endpoint of death, reinfarction or stroke during the hospital stay (2.4% versus 4.4%, p=0.039). This was confirmed after adjustment for confounding parameters (p=0.034). There was no increase in the rate of severe bleeding in the abciximab group (p=0.347). After one year the rates for the combined endpoint were 8.5% in the control group and 6.2% in the abciximab group (univariate analysis, p=0.134; multivariate analysis, p=0.143).


CONCLUSIONS
Treatment with abciximab during PCI in daily clinical practice at a high volume center in patients with a high rate of acute coronary syndromes seems to be as effective as shown in RCTs.
Zahn
R
R
Herzzentrum Ludwigshafen, Kardiologie, Bremserstrasse 79, 67063 Ludwigshafen, Germany. erzahn@aol.com
Fraiture
B
B
Siegler
K-E
KE
Schneider
S
S
Gitt
A K
AK
Seidl
K
K
Gandjour
A
A
Wendland
G
G
Vogt
S
S
Lauterbach
K W
KW
Senges
J
J
D000077284:Abciximab; D000368:Aged; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex; D000077284:Abciximab