Long term efficacy of abciximab bolus-only compared to abciximab bolus and infusion after transradial coronary stenting.

BACKGROUND: No data are available on the long term efficacy of abciximab bolus-only with aspirin and clopidogrel pretreatment and systematic coronary stenting. Our objective was to evaluate the 3-year clinical outcomes in the EASY trial.

METHODS: After a bolus of abciximab (0.25 mg/kg) and uncomplicated transradial coronary stenting, 1,005 patients were randomized either to same-day home discharge and no infusion (bolus-only group, n = 504) or to overnight hospitalization and 12 hours abciximab infusion (bolus + infusion group, n = 501). In contrast, 343 patients were not randomized after stenting for safety reasons and received abciximab bolus and infusion (not-randomized group). The rate of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including death, myocardial infarction (MI) and target vessel revascularization (TVR) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was evaluated.

RESULTS: Up to 3 years, the incidence of MACE remained similar in the two randomized groups, 14% in bolus-only vs. 17% in bolus + infusion (P = 0.38). Similar efficacy was observed in subgroups analysis including higher-risk patients such as those with diabetes, unstable angina or non-ST elevation MI. Conversely, the incidence of MACE remained significantly higher in patients not-randomized post-PCI at all time intervals (P < 0.0001). The difference in outcomes between randomized and not-randomized patients was mostly accounted by the higher rates of MI, TVR as survival rate remained similar.

CONCLUSION: In patients pretreated with aspirin and clopidogrel and undergoing uncomplicated coronary artery stenting, abciximab bolus-only was associated with similar outcomes compared with bolus followed by infusion, up to 3 years after PCI. Conversely, patients with suboptimal results or clinical complications during PCI remained at higher risk of late revascularization or MI.