ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To examine the safety and efficacy of low-dose tenecteplase, administered before facilitated percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) to restore Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) grade 2 or 3 blood flow in the infarct related artery (IRA) in patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) scheduled to undergo PCI with a shortest anticipated delay of 30 min. BACKGROUND: PCI preceded by administration of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, full-dose thrombolytics, or both, is associated with no benefit or a higher incidence of adverse events than PCI alone. METHODS: Patients with STEMI < 6 hr in duration were randomly assigned to PCI preceded by tenecteplase, 10 mg (facilitated PCI group, n = 143) versus standard PCI (control group, n = 141). All patients received aspirin and unfractionated heparin (70 IU/kg bolus) at time of randomization. Both groups received IIb/IIIa inhibitors in the catheterization laboratory and for at least 20 hr after PCI. RESULTS: The median door-to-balloon time was 122 min (91-175) in the facilitated PCI versus 120 min (89-175) in the control group. IRA patency on arrival in the catheterization laboratory was 59.5% in the facilitated PCI (24% TIMI-2, 35% TIMI-3), versus 37% in the control (8% TIMI-2, 29% TIMI-3) group (P = 0.0001). During hospitalization, 9 patients (6%) died in the facilitated PCI versus 5 patients (3.5%) in the control group (P = 0.572). A single patient in the facilitated PCI group suffered a non-fatal ischemic stroke. CONCLUSIONS: Facilitated PCI with low-dose tenecteplase in patients presenting with STEMI was associated with a high IRA patency rate before PCI.
Subject(s)
Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary , Fibrinolytic Agents/administration & dosage , Myocardial Infarction/therapy , Thrombolytic Therapy , Tissue Plasminogen Activator/administration & dosage , Aged , Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary/adverse effects , Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary/mortality , Anticoagulants/administration & dosage , Aspirin/administration & dosage , Combined Modality Therapy , Coronary Angiography , Coronary Circulation , Drug Administration Schedule , Female , Fibrinolytic Agents/adverse effects , Greece , Heparin/administration & dosage , Hospitalization , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Myocardial Infarction/drug therapy , Myocardial Infarction/mortality , Myocardial Infarction/physiopathology , Patient Transfer , Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/administration & dosage , Platelet Glycoprotein GPIIb-IIIa Complex/antagonists & inhibitors , Tenecteplase , Thrombolytic Therapy/adverse effects , Thrombolytic Therapy/mortality , Time Factors , Tissue Plasminogen Activator/adverse effects , Treatment Outcome , Vascular PatencyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: We prospectively investigated the causes of anemia in patients with advanced congestive heart failure (CHF). BACKGROUND: Anemia is common in patients with advanced CHF, and its etiology is generally considered to be multifactorial. However, despite its importance, precise information is lacking regarding the prevalence of putative etiologic factors. METHODS: Patients who were hospitalized for decompensated advanced CHF and who were stabilized after their initial treatment underwent evaluation of "clinically significant" anemia, defined as a hemoglobin content <12 g/dl for men and <11.5 g/dl for women. Patients with a serum creatinine concentration >3 mg/dl or patients with concurrent diseases that are known to cause anemia were not included. The initial evaluation included measurements of vitamin B(12), folic acid, thyroid-stimulating hormone, erythropoietin, lactate dehydrogenase, Coombs test, multiple fecal occult tests, and bone marrow aspiration. Patients without diagnosis by these methods underwent red cell mass measurement with (51)Cr assay. RESULTS: The mean age of the 37 patients was 57.9 +/- 10.9 years and mean left ventricular ejection fraction 22.5 +/- 5.9%. Iron deficiency anemia was confirmed by bone marrow aspiration in 27 patients (73%), 2 patients (5.4%) had dilutional anemia, and 1 patient (2.7%) had drug-induced anemia. No specific cause was identified in 7 patients (18.9%) who were considered to have "anemia of chronic disease." Serum ferritin for the iron-deficient patients was not a reliable marker of iron deficiency in this population. CONCLUSIONS: In this group of patients, iron deficiency was the most common cause of anemia. The iron status of patients with end-stage chronic CHF should be thoroughly evaluated and corrected before considering other therapeutic interventions.
