American heart journal
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American heart journal · Feb 2002
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialBivalirudin as a replacement for unfractionated heparin in unstable angina/non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction: observations from the TIMI 8 trial. The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction.
The Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) 8 trial was undertaken to compare the efficacy and safety of bivalirudin versus unfractionated heparin in a double-blind phase III trial of patients with unstable angina/non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (MI). ⋯ The trend toward a lower rate of death or nonfatal MI in the bivalirudin group is consistent with a therapeutic effect of the drug and is consistent with other trials of bivalirudin in patients with acute coronary syndromes. The potential for clinically meaningful antithrombotic activity without an increased risk of bleeding and availablility of an alternative anticoagulation strategy in patients who cannot tolerate unfractionated heparin are particularly attractive and underscore the need for further evaluation of bivalirudin.