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Updated: May 23, 2026

Rapid Point-of-Care Assay of Enoxaparin Anticoagulant Efficacy in Whole Blood
Published on: October 12, 2012
Comparative effectiveness analysis of anticoagulant strategies in a large observational database of percutaneous
Gregory R Wise1, Brian P Schwartz, Nathaniel Dittoe
1Kettering Medical Center, Dayton, OH, USA.
Insights
Bivalirudin use in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) significantly reduces inpatient mortality and bleeding events. This anticoagulant strategy also offers substantial cost savings compared to other treatments.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Pharmacology
- Health Economics
Background:
- Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a primary method for coronary revascularization.
- Various anticoagulant strategies are employed during PCI.
- Cost containment is a significant factor in modern healthcare.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a comparative effectiveness analysis of major anticoagulant strategies used in PCI.
- To evaluate clinical outcomes and associated costs of different anticoagulant regimens.
- To assess real-world effectiveness in a large observational database.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of the Premier observational database.
- Comparative effectiveness analysis of anticoagulant treatments.
- Utilized multiple linear and logistic regression models to control for confounding factors.
Main Results:
- Bivalirudin use was linked to a 41% reduction in inpatient mortality and a 44% reduction in bleeding compared to heparin plus glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor (GPI).
- Bivalirudin monotherapy resulted in an average cost saving of $976 per case.
- Similar improvements were observed between bivalirudin and heparin, while combined bivalirudin and GPI use diminished cost benefits.
Conclusions:
- Bivalirudin demonstrates superior comparative effectiveness in PCI by improving clinical outcomes and reducing hospital costs.
- This study is the first to report improved clinical outcomes alongside decreased costs for PCI anticoagulation.
- Real-world data supports bivalirudin as an optimal anticoagulant strategy for PCI.
Background:
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the most commonly used procedure for coronary revascularization. There are multiple adjuvant anticoagulation strategies available. In this era of cost containment, we performed a comparative effectiveness analysis of clinical outcomes and cost of the major anticoagulant strategies across all types of PCI procedures in a large observational database.
Methods:
A retrospective, comparative effectiveness analysis of the Premier observational database was conducted to determine the impact of anticoagulant treatment on outcomes. Multiple linear regression and logistic regression models were used to assess the association of initial antithrombotic treatment with outcomes while controlling for other factors.
Results:
A total of 458,448 inpatient PCI procedures with known antithrombotic regimen from 299 hospitals between January 1, 2004 and March 31, 2008 were identified. Compared to patients treated with heparin plus glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor (GPI), bivalirudin was associated with a 41% relative risk reduction (RRR) for inpatient mortality, a 44% RRR for clinically apparent bleeding, and a 37% RRR for any transfusion. Furthermore, treatment with bivalirudin alone resulted in a cost savings of $976 per case. Similar results were seen between bivalirudin and heparin in all end-points. Combined use of both bivalirudin and GPI substantially attenuated the cost benefits demonstrated with bivalirudin alone.
Conclusion:
Bivalirudin use was associated with both improved clinical outcomes and decreased hospital costs in this large "real-world" database. To our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate the ideal comparative effectiveness end-point of both improved clinical outcomes with decreased costs in PCI.
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