Safety of tirofiban therapy in korean patients with acute coronary syndrome.

BACKGROUND Although it has been reported that the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor, tirofiban, is beneficial in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), there is little data concerning the risks and complications of tirofiban therapy in Korean patients. METHODS AND RESULTS The present study reviewed 261 patients who underwent tirofiban administration for ACS between May 2002 and August 2003. The rates of bleeding, transfusion, and thrombocytopenia were analyzed and the rates of complications by age, gender, and PCI vs medical treatment were compared. The rate of minor bleeding was 8.1% (21 patients), major bleeding was 2.3% (6 patients), transfusion was 4.6% (12 patients), and thrombocytopenia was 1.2% (3 patients). Minor bleeding showed a similar rate in both sexes (8% in males vs 8.1% in females) but was higher with older age (12.5% > or = 65 vs 2.6% < 65 years old, p = 0.093). Major bleeding occurred more in older females (5.4% vs 0%, 4.2% vs 0%, p = 0.25, 0.093, respectively). The rates of thrombocytopenia and transfusion were higher in old age (2.1% vs 0% by gender, 8.3% vs 0% by age, p = 0.052, 0.087 respectively). The rates of complications were similar for groups compared with PCI or medical treatment, and vascular access route. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that tirofiban is a safe and tolerable therapy for Korean patients with ACS.