Abstract
Purpose
To provide outcome data to health care practitioners involved in the care of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Adjunctive treatment with eptifibatide can be used in a wide range of patients requiring glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors to attenuate platelet response secondary to coronary artery interventions requiring a stent. The use of eptifibatide will provide comparable revascularization protection and may be safer than using abciximab.
Methods
Preselected outcome measures were collected for consecutive patients receiving a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor and the deployment of at least one coronary arterial stent for a 2-year period. The results were reported on a quarterly basis to the institution's cardiac interventionalists.
Results
No clinical or statistical differences in the event rate of a revascularization procedure for a “same target vessel” lesion at either the 6-month or 12-month evaluation periods were identified. The revascularization rate for “any vessel” interventions favored the use of abciximab at 6 months, but this advantage deteriorated at 12 months. Finally patients receiving eptifibatide were less likely to experience any bleeding event.
Conclusions
These outcome data can facilitate the use of eptifibatide in a wide range of patients undergoing PCI. An expectation of comparable clinical outcomes is merited. Based on these observations, the use of eptifibatide can at least provide a reduction in cost per procedural case.
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