title: Use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors in primary percutaneous coronary intervention: insights from the APEX-AMI trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Controversy exists regarding the early use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors (GPIs) in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The Assessment of Pexelizumab in Acute Myocardial Infarction (APEX-AMI) trial provides a unique opportunity to examine early vs. late or non-use of GPIs in a large STEMI cohort treated with PCI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the APEX-AMI trial, 3969 of 5707 patients received one of three GPIs at the operator's discretion (abciximab, eptifibatide, tirofiban). Of GPI-treated patients, the median time from symptom onset to GPI administration was 180 min (25th, 75th percentile: 130, 258); 1125 received the agent prior to arriving in the catheterization laboratory [pre-sheath; GPI to sheath insertion: 37 min (16, 66)], whereas 2844 patients were treated after arrival in the catheterization laboratory [in-lab; sheath insertion to GPI: 16 min (10, 27)]. The pre-sheath use of GPIs was associated with a significantly lower hazard of 90-day mortality [adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.68, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.48-0.95, P = 0.025] and of 90-day composite of death/CHF/shock (adjusted HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.65-1.00, P = 0.054). In-hospital severe and moderate bleeding was not related to the use of GPIs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This retrospective analysis from a large patient cohort with acute STEMI undergoing PCI suggests that pharmacological pre-treatment of PCI with GPIs, particularly abciximab, was associated with significantly lower occurrence of 90-day clinical outcomes and supports the pre-procedural administration of GPIs in this clinical setting.
authors.affiliation: 3rd Department of Internal Medicine, Cardiology and Emergency Medicine, Wilhelminenhospital, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Kurt
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Huber
authors.forename: David R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Arnoud W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: van 't Hof
authors.forename: Gilles
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Montalescot
authors.forename: Philip E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Aylward
authors.forename: G Amadeo
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Betriu
authors.forename: Petr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Widimsky
authors.forename: Cynthia M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Westerhout
authors.forename: Christopher B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Granger
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Armstrong
mesh_terms: D000077284:Abciximab; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary / Q000379:methods*; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000077542:Eptifibatide; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000628:therapy*; D010455:Peptides / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D000077466:Tirofiban; D014443:Tyrosine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007140:Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments; D010455:Peptides; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D019039:Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex; D014443:Tyrosine; D000077466:Tirofiban; D000077542:Eptifibatide; D000077284:Abciximab