EuroIntervention : journal of EuroPCR in collaboration with the Working Group on Interventional Cardiology of the European Society of Cardiology
-
Multicenter Study Meta Analysis
Bivalirudin versus heparin in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention: a meta-analysis of randomised trials.
Current recommendations on the use of bivalirudin in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are mostly based on trials comparing bivalirudin versus heparin plus planned glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor (GPI). Whether bivalirudin is also superior to heparin alone is still not well established. This meta-analysis investigates the efficacy and safety of bivalirudin versus heparin in patients treated with PCI without planned use of GPI. ⋯ Patients undergoing PCI randomised to therapy with either bivalirudin or heparin display a similar mortality. Bivalirudin as compared to heparin appears to reduce the risk of major bleeding at the expense of a higher risk of acute ST.