EASY trial data indicate that angioplasty plus stenting via the radial artery can be done as a day procedure
Data from the EASY trial, an open-label,
randomized study with 1,005 patients, suggest that angioplasty plus
stenting of the coronary arteries via the radial artery can be safely
done as a day procedure with one bolus dose of an antiplatelet drug
as an anticoagulant, according to a presentation at the American
Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2005.
“We propose a practice with more comfort for the patients, less
risk of complications and greater cost-savings due to shorter hospitalizations,”
said Olivier Bertrand, MD, PhD, assistant professor, faculty of
medicine, Laval University in Quebec City, Canada, and interventional
cardiologist at Laval Hospital.
The EArly Discharge after Trans-radial Stenting of CoronarY arteries
(EASY) trial was designed to compare two treatments, one dose (a
bolus) of an antiplatelet drug to reduce risk of blood clots with
patient discharge 4 ? 6 hours later, and an initial dose followed
by a 12-hour intravenous drip, with discharge the following morning.
In addition, 343 patients had predefined complications after angioplasty
and received 12-hour infusions and hospitalization, as required.
The group that received the single bolus was discharged the same
day and had comparable outcomes after 40 days as those who got the
infusion, Bertrand said.
The drug that was used in the study is abciximab, one of a class
called the platelet glycoprotein IIb-IIIa receptor inhibitors.
The 30-day primary composite end-points included death, myocardial
infarction, urgent revascularization, repeat hospitalization, major
bleeding, access site complications, and severe thrombopenia.
The rate of events after adjustment for patients moved from the
single-dose to the bolus-plus-infusion group was 13.5 percent in
the single-dose group and 10.2 percent in the other group. As expected,
the difference between the two randomized groups was small and statistically
non-significant.
The results held up at six months and the researchers are continuing
to follow the patients, Bertrand added.
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