Mattia Galli, Marco Bernardi, Luis Ortega-Paz, Roberto Nerla, Domenico D'Amario, Francesco Franchi, Giuseppe Biondi-Zoccai, Dominick J Angiolillo
INTRODUCTION: Bivalirudin, a bivalent direct thrombin inhibitor, has been developed to reduce bleeding without any trade-off in thrombotic events in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). AREAS COVERED: Despite showing a superior safety profile compared with unfractionated heparin (UFH), bivalirudin is not considered the anticoagulant of choice in ACS patients undergoing PCI, mainly because of an increased rate of acute stent thrombosis (ST) showed by several randomized controlled trials (RCTs), in addition to limited availability in certain countries and increased costs...
November 2, 2023: Expert Review of Cardiovascular Therapy