Incidence, prognostic impact, and influence of antithrombotic therapy on access and nonaccess site bleeding in

Freek W A Verheugt1, Steven R Steinhubl, Martial Hamon

  • 1Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. f.w.a.verheugt@olvg.nl

Insights

Nonaccess site bleeding after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is common and significantly increases mortality risk. Bivalirudin therapy reduces both access and nonaccess site bleeding events post-PCI.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Interventional Cardiology
  • Clinical Trials

Background:

  • Bleeding complications post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are linked to increased mortality.
  • The distinct contributions of access site versus nonaccess site bleeding to prognosis are not well understood.
  • The role of antithrombotic therapies in mitigating bleeding risk requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the frequency of access and nonaccess site bleeding after PCI.
  • To assess the association between bleeding events and 1-year mortality.
  • To evaluate the impact of randomized antithrombotic therapy on bleeding outcomes.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of a combined dataset from three major PCI trials (REPLACE-2, ACUITY, HORIZONS-AMI) involving 17,393 patients.
  • Examination of the incidence and impact of Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) major/minor bleeding within 30 days.
  • Comparison of outcomes between patients receiving bivalirudin versus heparin plus a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor.

Main Results:

  • Nonaccess site bleeds constituted approximately two-thirds of all TIMI bleeding events (3.3% of patients).
  • TIMI bleeding was independently associated with a 3.17-fold increased risk of 1-year mortality.
  • Nonaccess site bleeding carried a higher mortality risk (HR: 3.94) compared to access site bleeding (HR: 1.82).
  • Randomization to bivalirudin led to significant relative reductions in TIMI major/minor bleeding (38%) and TIMI major bleeding (43%) compared to heparin plus a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor.

Conclusions:

  • Nonaccess site bleeding is a frequent complication after PCI and is a strong predictor of increased 1-year mortality.
  • Bivalirudin therapy significantly reduces both access and nonaccess site bleeding events by approximately 40% compared to heparin plus a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor.
Abstract

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