Abciximab readministration: A single-operator community-hospital experience

Abciximab, a monoclonal antibody to the platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor, reduces ischemic complications of coronary interventions after first administration. In this study, We sought to determine whether readministration of abciximab is associated with equal efficacy and safety. We retrospectively reviewed the charts of 35 patients who received two doses of abciximab at separate intervals. We monitored patients clinically for recurrent ischemia, bleeding complications, and thrombocytopenia. We measured hemoglobin and platelet counts before and after readministration of abciximab. There was no cardiac-related death, myocardial infarction, or recurrent ischemia. No obvious bleeding occurred in any of the 35 patients, although 1 patient had a drop of hemoglobin >3 gm/dl. We observed one episode of severe thrombocytopenia without any complication, and this patient improved without requiring platelet transfusion. There was no profound thrombocytopenia. We conclude that readministration of abciximab was well tolerated without any evidence of altered efficacy or safety. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 47:294-296, 1999.