Efficacy of heparin-coated stent in early setting of acute myocardial infarction

Primary stenting has been reported to be superior to balloon percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) for recurrent ischemia, target lesion revascularization, and restenosis. However, concerns about early reocclusion or thrombosis after stenting in the very thrombotic environment of acute myocardial infarction still remain. Therefore, postprocedural short‐term heparin or GpIIb/IIIa receptor blockades has been used. The aim of our study was to evaluate the safety, feasibility, and long‐term efficacy of heparin‐coated stent in the early setting of AMI without postprocedural heparin or GpIIb/IIIa receptor blockade infusion. We studied 102 consecutive patients presenting to cardiac catheterization laboratory ≤ 6 hr from the onset of chest pain. No patients who were implanted with heparin‐coated stents received heparin or GpIIb/IIIa receptor blockade infusion after the procedures, not even patients who showed an angiographically large thrombus burden before stenting. Patients were evaluated for clinical endpoints at 30 days and 6 months. Coronary angiography was required for all patients at 2 weeks and 6 months after the procedure. Angiographic and procedural successes were 100% and 98%, respectively. Two patients (2%) died of heart failure without evidence of reocclusion of stented vessel during the hospitalization and 4 (4%) additional patients died of refractory heart failure within the first 6 months. Major bleeding complication occurred in one patient (1%). Recurrent myocardial infarction developed in one patient at 4 months. Early angiographic follow up at 2 weeks was performed in 88% of all patients, none of whom showed thrombotic stent occlusion. Six‐month angiographic follow‐up was completed in 71%(64/91) of eligible patients and binary restenosis was present in 17.2% of stented vessels. Eight(8%) patients underwent repeat PTCA. Cardiac event‐free survival rate at 6 months was 86.3%. This study demonstrates that heparin‐coated stents are safe in the early setting of acute myocardial infarction and no additional heparin infusion after stenting is necessary, which may reduce bleeding complications. Angiographic restenosis rate compares favorably to the binary restenosis rate from other studies with uncoated stents. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2001;52:306–312. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.