Abstract:
Background: Anticoagulation therapy during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been the focus of numerous clinical trials. Low-anticoagulant doses have been successfully used in patients undergoing elective PCI, a situation with low-thrombogenic milieu. Objective: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of shorter duration of treatment with bivalirudin in patients undergoing elective PCI and receiving optimal antiplatelet therapy. Methods: We compared patients undergoing PCI who received aspirin and clopidogrel loading dose in addition to either conventional bivalirudin dosing (intravenous [IV] bolus of 0.75 + 1.75 mg-kg per h for the duration of PCI; n = 197) or a reduced bivalirudin dose (IV bolus of 0.75 mg-kg; n = 200). Results: Procedural success was obtained in 100percent of cases. The primary end point (in-hospital death, acute myocardial infarction, or need for urgent target vessel revascularization) did not differ between both the groups (6 patients [3percent] in the conventional dose group vs 5 patients [2.5percent] in the reduced dose group). Major bleeding occurred in 1 patient in the conventional dose group (P = nonsignificant [NS]). Minor bleeding occurred in 4 patients (2percent) in the conventional dose group vs 5 patients (2.5percent) in the reduced dose group (P = NS) and was mainly due to bleeding at entry site. Conclusion: In patients undergoing elective PCI, using bivalirudin as a bolus only dosing may be as effective and less costly when compared with bolus followed by an infusion for the duration of the intervention. A larger study is needed to confirm our findings. © The Author(s) 2012.