Hemorrhagic and vascular complications after percutaneous coronary intervention with adjunctive abciximab

To examine the frequency and nature of hemorrhagic and peripheral vascular complications associated with use of abciximab during percutaneous coronary intervention and to characterize high-risk patients.

We report the frequency and severity of bleeding and vascular complications recorded prospectively in 2,559 consecutive nonselected patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn, between July 1, 1996, and April 30, 1998, 831 of whom received abciximab and 1,728 did not. Abciximab and heparin were administered according to guidelines of the Evaluation of PTCA [percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty] to Improve Long-Term Outcome With Abciximab GP IIb/IIIa Blockade (EPILOG).

Patients who received abciximab were more likely to be men, were more often treated within 12 hours of an acute myocardial infarction, and were more likely to have received heparin after the procedure (8.7 % vs 4.5%, P<.001). Major bleeding occurred in 18 patients (2.4%) who received abciximab and in 10 patients (0.6%) who did not receive abciximab (P<.001). Minor bleeding occurred in 108 patients (14.3%) and in 92 patients (5.9%), respectively (P<.001). Both major bleeding and minor bleeding were more frequent among patients within 12 hours of an acute myocardial infarction and were more frequent if abciximab had been used. Multivariate analysis revealed that use of abciximab was independently associated with major and minor bleeding.

In this clinical setting, use of adjunctive abciximab during percutaneous coronary intervention was associated with a significantly increased risk of both major and minor bleeding.