Abciximab improves 6-month clinical outcome after rescue coronary angioplasty

Background Few data are available concerning the effects on clinical outcome and left ventricular function of abciximab administration in patients undergoing rescue percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) after failed thrombolysis for acute myocardial infarction. The aim of the study was to investigate such effects. Methods Eighty-nine consecutive patients referred to our laboratory from other hospitals for rescue PTCA within 24 hours from the onset of chest pain were prospectively randomized before the procedure to abciximab treatment (44 patients) or placebo (45 patients). No significant differences in baseline characteristics were observed between the 2 groups. Study end points were the occurrence of major adverse cardiac events (MACE) such as death, reinfarction, congestive heart failure, target lesion revascularization, or recurrent ischemia at 30-day and 6-month follow-up and the occurrence of periprocedural bleeding. Results Mean time from symptom onset to reperfusion was 8.5 +/- 5.4 hours; rescue PTCA was successful in 96% of patients. The incidence of major, moderate, and minor bleeding was similar in the 2 groups. At 30-day follow-up, the echocardiographic left ventricular wall motion score index showed a significantly higher improvement in the abciximob group versus the placebo group (P < .001). At 6-month follow-up, the incidence of MACE was 11% in the abciximab group versus 38% in the placebo group (P = .004). Abciximab administration (P = .003) and cardiogenic shock (P = .005) were the only independent predictors of the occurrence of MACE at multivariable analysis. Conclusion Treatment with abciximab during rescue PTCA positively affects clinical outcome at 6-month follow-up without increasing periprocedural bleeding.