Efficacy and safety of two unfractionated heparin dosing strategies with tenecteplase in acute myocardial infarction (Results from assessment of the safety and efficacy of a new thrombolytic regimens 2 and 3)

We investigated the effect of smaller dose, weight-adjusted heparin with earlier monitoring of activated partial thromboplastin time on the incidence of ischemic and hemorrhagic complications in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated with full-dose tenecteplase. We compared the outcomes of patients enrolled in the Second Assessment of the Safety and Efficacy of a New Thrombolytic Regimen (ASSENT-2; n = 8,461) who received heparin stratified by weight (patients weighing >67 kg received a 5,000-U bolus plus infusion at 1,000 U/hour; those weighing less than or equal to67 kg received a 4,000-U bolus plus infusion at 800 U/hour) with patients in ASSENT-3 who received weight-adjusted heparin (60-U/kg bolus, maximum 4,000 U/hour, followed by a 12-U/kg/hour infusion, maximum 1,000 U/hour). Compared with patients in ASSENT-2, those in ASSENT-3 had similar rates of 30-day mortality, recurrent infarction, and intracranial hemorrhage, less major bleeding (2.2% vs 4.7%, p < 0.001), and less refractory ischemia (6.5% vs 8.6%, p < 0.001). After adjustment for baseline characteristics, patients in ASSENT-3 had similar rates of 30-day mortality (odds ratio [OR] 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77 to 1.19) and intracranial hemorrhage (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.69) but less major bleeding (OR 0.49,95% CI 0.35 to 0.67) than did patients in ASSENT-2. These findings support the use of smaller dose, weight-adjusted heparin in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated with tenecteplase. (C) 2004 by Excerpta Medica, Inc.