Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors and low-molecular-weight heparins: a combined role in coronary interventions?

Management strategies for acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are making increasing use of both low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWHs) and glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors. To date, however, relatively few studies have assessed the clinical potential of these two classes of agents in combination. There are theoretical grounds to expect LMWHs to be more effective than unfractionated heparin (UFH) in combination with GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors, since UFH, but not LMWH, activates platelets. The antiplatelet effects of GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors are therefore likely to be both more potent and more predictable when combined with LMWH. A recent study in more than 100 patients has demonstrated that a combination of dalteparin and the GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor abciximab provided effective anticoagulation in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), without causing significant bleeding or adverse events. Similar results were demonstrated in the National Investigators Collaborating on Enoxaparin (NICE-4) study using a combination of abciximab and enoxaparin in patients undergoing PCI. Of importance is the fact that there were no cases of severe thrombocytopenia in either LMWH study, although this is a recognized potential complication when UFH and abciximab are used in combination. Further studies are now warranted to confirm the efficacy of LMWH and GP IIb/IIIa inhibitors in combination, both for PCI and medical stabilization.