BACKGROUND Tirofiban administered at a bolus dose of 25 mcg/kg is associated with a higher level of platelet inhibition compared to that associated with the standard 10 mcg/kg tirofiban bolus dose. In our previous study on bolus-only glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibition during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), the eptifibatide bolus-only group demonstrated similar efficacy, but sig...

BACKGROUND Antithrombotic effects of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors and magnesium are known, but their comparative effects on stent thrombosis are not known. Our objective was to compare the antithrombotic effects of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors tirofiban and eptifibatide with magnesium in an ex vivo canine arteriovenous shunt model of stent thrombosis. METHODS AND RESULTS Control n...

OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to evaluate platelet function and to preliminarily assess the clinical safety of sequential treatment with tirofiban or eptifibatide followed by abciximab in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). BACKGROUND An increasing number of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients are treated early with tirofiban or eptifibatide. Some later re...

Objectives. We compared local delivery of intracoronary eptifibatide via perfusion catheter to thrombus aspiration in primary PCI. Background. Perfusion catheter increases local concentration of the drugs at the culprit site and prolongs their residency time. Methods. 75 patients with acute STEMI were randomized to three groups: 25 received local intracoronary eptifibatide and verapamil via per...

Intravenous recombinant tissue-type plasminogen activator (r-tPA) remains the only proven medical therapy for improving functional outcomes after acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Unfortunately, r-tPA alone is often inadequate for opening occluded intracranial arteries with recanalization of large arterial occlusions in only ≈50% with subsequent reocclusion of 14% to 34% of initially recanalized art...

We measured C-reactive protein concentrations in 31 patients with interventional procedures after blocking thrombosis in 17 of them by the administration of a 12 hour long infusion of eptifibatide in order to evaluate the role of arterial thrombosis. There were no differences in C reactive protein concentration between the treated and control group pre-angioplasty (0.32 0.4 vs 0.56 0.57 md/dl; ...

BACKGROUND Many patients with acute coronary syndromes are offered percutaneous coronary intervention. However, the appropriate indications for, and optimal timing of, such procedures are uncertain. We analysed timing of intervention and associated events (death and myocardial infarction) in the PURSUIT trial in which 9461 patients received a platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor, eptifibati...

Background—Eptifibatide reduces major adverse cardiac events in patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Intracoronary bolus administration of eptifibatide may result in higher levels of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor occupancy in the local coronary bed, disaggregate thrombus in the epicardial artery and microvasculature, and thereby i...

Activated platelets facilitate thrombin generation by providing a catalytic surface on which coagulation activation occurs. The glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor might play a major role in this process as shown by in vitro and animal experiments. However, it is controversial whether the GPIIb/IIIa receptor facilitates tissue factor-induced thrombin generation in humans as well. We therefore i...