Gastrointestinal bleeding after percutaneous coronary intervention

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is now performed in a wide range of patients with coronary artery disease. Complications of PCI include in-stent re-stenosis and in-stent thrombosis. According to the recent 2005 guidelines of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association/Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions, dual antiplatelet therapy with low-dose aspirin and thienopyridine derivatives such as ticlopidine and clopidogrel should be used in patients who have undergone PCI. A serious complication of dual antiplatelet therapy is bleeding, most of which arise from the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. In this article we review published studies about GI bleeding in patients who have undergone PCI. The prevalence of GI bleeding in patients who are administered dual antiplatelet therapy following PCI is approximately 2%, and GI bleeding after PCI is associated with increased morbidity, mortality, duration of hospitalization and cost. Advanced age, a history of peptic ulcer disease, co-administration of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, co-administration of anticoagulants, and physiological stress are considered to be the major risk factors for GI bleeding in patients undergoing antiplatelet therapy following PCI. Recent clinical and experimental studies indicate that administration of low-dose aspirin may also increase the risk of adverse events in the small intestine. Although some prophylactic strategies such as proton-pump inhibitor, H? receptor antagonist and eradication of Helicobacter pylori are proposed, there are few randomized controlled trials assessing the best strategy for the prevention of GI bleeding after PCI. Further extensive studies are required to ascertain the beneficial effect of prophylactic agents for dual antiplatelet therapy following PCI.     

Drug insight: antithrombotic therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with an indication for anticoagulation

Antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel is standard care following revascularization by percutaneous coronary intervention with stent insertion. This so-called dual therapy is recommended for up to 4 weeks after intervention for bare-metal stents and for 6-12 months after intervention for drug-eluting stents. Although it is estimated that 5% of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention require long-term anticoagulation because of an underlying chronic medical condition, continuing treatment with triple therapy (warfarin, aspirin and clopidogrel) increases the risk of bleeding. In most patients triple antithrombotic therapy seems justified for a short period of time. In some patients, however, a more considered judgment based on absolute need for triple therapy, risk of bleeding and risk of stent thrombosis is required, but the optimum antithrombotic treatment for these patients who require long-term anticoagulation has not been defined. This Review summarizes the existing literature concerning antithrombotic therapy and makes recommendations for initiation and duration of triple therapy in the small proportion of patients already receiving anticoagulant therapy who require percutaneous coronary intervention.     

Acute gastrointestinal bleeding after percutaneous coronary intervention

Bleeding from the GI tract is a commonly encountered clinical problem after percutaneous coronary intervention. The GI tract is likely to become the most commonly encountered site of bleeding as cardiologists adopt smaller access sheath sizes, percutaneous closure devices and a radial artery approach, further reducing access-site bleeding. To appropriately manage gastrointestinal bleeding in this setting, the clinician must strike a balance between arresting hemorrhage and preventing ischemic coronary complications. To do so, an appreciation of both cardiovascular and gastrointestinal issues is required. This review aims to provide the required knowledge, as well as a series of recommendations from our practice, to assist in the management of this potentially fatal complication.     

Incidence and prognostic impact of gastrointestinal bleeding after percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction

We examined the incidence, presentation, and outcome of patients who developed gastrointestinal bleeding after percutaneous coronary intervention for acute myocardial infarction in the Primary Angioplasty in Myocardial Infarction trials. Of the 3,130 patients, 71 (2.3%) developed gastrointestinal bleeding, which was more likely to occur in elderly patients. Gastrointestinal bleeding was independently associated with a prolonged hospital stay and greater in-hospital and 6-month mortality.     

Safety of percutaneous coronary intervention during uninterrupted oral anticoagulant treatment

Aims: Uninterrupted anticoagulation (UAC) is assumed to increase bleedingand access-site complications. A common consensus is to postponepercutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) to reach internationalnormalized ratio (INR) levels < 1.5–1.8. Methods and results: To assess the safety and feasibility of UAC, we analysed retrospectivelyall consecutive patients (n = 523) on warfarin therapy referredfor PCI in four centres with a policy to interrupt anticoagulation(IAC) before PCI and in three centres with a long experienceon UAC during PCI. Major bleeding, access-site complications,and major adverse cardiac events (death, myocardial infarction,target vessel revascularization, and stent thrombosis) wererecorded during hospitalization. In the IAC group, warfarinwas withdrawn for a mean of 3 days prior to PCI (mean INR 1.7).In the UAC group, mean INR value was 2.2. Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa(GP) inhibitors (P < 0.001) and low-molecular-weight heparins(P < 0.001) were more often used in the IAC group. Majorbleeding and access-site complications were more common in theIAC group (5.0% vs. 1.2%, P = 0.02 and 11.3% vs. 5.0%, P = 0.01,respectively) than in the UAC group. After adjusting for propensityscore, the group difference in access-site complications remainedsignificant [OR (odds ratio) 2.8, 95% CI (confidence interval)1.3–6.1, P = 0.008], but did not remain significant inmajor bleeding (OR 3.9, 95% CI 1.0–15.3, P = 0.05). Inmultivariable analysis, femoral access (OR 9.9, 95% CI 1.3–75.2),use of access-site closure devices (OR 2.1, 95% CI 1.1–4.0),low-molecular-weight heparin (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.1–6.7)and old age predicted access-site complications, and the useof GP inhibitors (OR 3.0, 95% CI 1.0–9.1) remained asa predictor of major bleeding. Conclusion: Our study shows that PCI is a safe procedure during UAC withno excess bleeding complications.     

冠状动脉介入治疗术后严重出血并发症的危险因素分析

目的探讨经皮冠状动脉介入治疗(PCI)术后严重出血并发症的危险因素。方法回顾分析2105例PCI患者中41例严重出血患者(出血组)和随机抽取的50例无严重出血患者(未出血组),使用logistic回归分析与严重出血并发症相关的危险因素。结果与未出血组比较,出血组患者年龄和基础血肌酐水平较高,体重较低。年龄偏大、体重轻和基础血肌酐水平升高是增加PCI术后严重出血风险的独立危险因素。结论年龄、体重和血肌酐水平可以作为预测PCI术后严重出血风险的指标。     

Comparison of femoral bleeding complications after coronary angiography versus percutaneous coronary intervention

Vascular complications arising after coronary angiography (CA) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) may be under-reported. Access site complications were studied after consecutive CA and PCI in the investigators' center (an urban university hospital) from October to December 2002. Three hundred eleven consecutive procedures (237 CA studies and 74 PCIs) were included, of which 309 (99%) involved femoral arterial access. Seventy percent of all arterial punctures were closed by manual pressure, 28% by C-pressure clamps, and 2% with closure devices. Femoral hematomas occurred in 22% and 41% of CA studies and PCIs, respectively. Hematoma >5 cm occurred in 6% and 11% of CA studies and PCIs, respectively. Nineteen patients (23%) with access site complications had prolonged hospital admission. Increased body mass index and hematoma development within the catheter laboratory were predictors of prolonged admission.     

冠心病患者介入治疗术后的康复治疗

随着人们生活水平的不断提高,冠心病特别是心肌梗塞的发生率逐年升高,已经成为当今社会严重危害人类健康,致死、致残的主要疾病之一.恢复冠状动脉血运,改善心肌缺血,挽救濒临死亡心肌是冠心病治疗的主要措施之一,其中经皮冠状动脉介入治疗(percutaneous coronary intervention,PCI)已经成为冠心病血管重建的重要手段.     

Fighting restenosis after coronary angioplasty: contemporary and future treatment options

Despite the widespread use of coronary stents, prevention of restenosis after percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) remains a major challenge. The restenotic process is even higher after balloon angioplasty without stenting and has been shown to be in the range of 30-50%. Experimental data suggest that 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG CoA) reductase inhibitors ("statins") might have a beneficial effect on restenosis after coronary angioplasty. Proposed mechanisms include favorable effects on plasma lipoproteins, endothelial function, plaque architecture and stability, thrombosis and inflammation. Although statins have documented efficacy in reducing clinical events and angiographic disease progression in patients with coronary atherosclerosis, the results of subsequent large prospective clinical trials using different types of statins clearly demonstrate that statins do not have a short-to-medium term effect on prevention of restenosis after successful conventional PTCA. The underlying pathological reasons for this shortcoming as well as promising innovative approaches including gene therapy and local drug delivery of vasoactive substances will be discussed in this review.     

Gender impact on in-hospital outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention

BACKGROUND: Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a widely performed technique for coronary revascularization. Men and women seem to have different in-hospital outcomes, although results remain unclear. We assessed the gender impact on in-hospital outcomes in men and women undergoing PCI. METHODS: In a single center, from 1998 to 2002, a total of 413 patients who underwent PCI were included in this analysis. From a dedicated database, the presence of risk factors, angiographic characteristics, left ventricular function and in-hospital outcomes were recorded and compared between men (n=244) and women (n=169). For comparison, unpaired t test and chi-square were used for continuous and dichotomous variables respectively. An alpha <0.05 was considered significant. RESULTS: Women were older (65.3+/-10.39 x 60+/-10.68 years, p=0.001), presented better ejection fraction (67.01+/-12.28% x 64.26+/-14.31%, p=0.028) and higher prevalence of stable angina (63.90% x 45.90%, p<0.001) than men. There were no differences related to family history for cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes or hyperlipidemia; but there was an observed reduction in tobacco use (17.71% x 32.31%, p<0.001) by women. Similar rates of in-hospital successful procedures (94.3% x 94.90%, p=0.93) and death (0.41%x1.18%, p=0.40) were observed in men and women, respectively. Neither vascular complications nor stroke occurred. There was a higher incidence of urgent surgical myocardial revascularization (1.77%x0%, p=0.036) and a trend in the combined outcome of death/surgical myocardial revascularization (2.69% x 0.41%, p=0.06) in the women's group. CONCLUSION: Women present a higher incidence of urgent surgical myocardial revascularization following percutaneous coronary intervention when compared to men.     

The clinical impact of bleeding during oral anticoagulant therapy

Although the risk for bleeding during long-term warfarin therapy is established, little is known about the clinical impact following warfarin-associated bleeding and the management of anticoagulant resumption after a bleed. We performed a retrospective chart review of patients who suffered a warfarin-associated bleed that required hospitalization or that occurred during hospitalization. We determined the proportion of patients who required a blood product transfusion, a surgical or other invasive procedure or admission to an intensive care unit, and the duration of hospitalization. We also determined the case-fatality rate of bleeding and described post-bleed resumption of anticoagulation. We studied 142 patients (70 women) hospitalized with warfarin-associated bleeding with a mean age of 73 years. The most prevalent sites of bleeding were the gastrointestinal tract (40.8%) and urinary tract (14.1%). Of all bleeding episodes, 72 (50.1%) were classified as major bleeds. There were 66 (46.4%) patients who required either endoscopy, surgery or admission to an intensive care unit, and the mean duration of hospitalization was 23 days. The case fatality rate of major bleeding was 9.5%. Among patients in whom warfarin was restarted, 8.3% suffered recurrent bleeding. Warfarin-associated bleeding appears to confer considerable morbidity related to transfusion and hospitalization, approximately 1 in 10 major bleeds are fatal, and 1 in 12 patients will re-bleeding after warfarin resumption.     

Risk of hospitalised bleeding in comparisons of oral anticoagulant options for the primary treatment of venous thromboembolism

Understanding of the comparative bleeding risks of oral anticoagulant (OAC) therapies for the primary treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) is limited. Therefore, among anticoagulant-naïve VTE patients, we conducted comparisons of apixaban, rivaroxaban and warfarin on the rate of hospitalised bleeding within 180 days of OAC initation. MarketScan databases for the time-period from 2011 to 2016 were used and, for each OAC comparison, new users were matched with up to five initiators of a different OAC. The final analysis included 83 985 VTE patients, who experienced 1944 hospitalised bleeding events. In multivariable-adjusted Cox regression models, rate of hospitalised bleeding was lower among new users of apixaban when compared to new users of rivaroxaban [hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) 0·58 (0·41–0·80)] or warfarin [0·68 (0·50–0·92)]. Overall, the hospitalised bleeding rate was similar when comparing new users of rivaroxaban to new users of warfarin [0·98 (0·68–1·11)], though there was some suggestion that rivaroxaban was associated with lower bleeding risk among younger individuals. Findings from this large real-world population concur with results from the randomised trial which found lower bleeding risk with apixaban versus warfarin and, for the first time, reveal a lower risk of bleeding in a comparison of apixaban versus rivaroxaban.     

Major bleeding complications after cardiopulmonary resuscitation: impact of thrombolytic treatment

OBJECTIVE: The risk of bleeding complications caused by thrombolysis in patients with cardiac arrest and prolonged cardiopulmonary resuscitation is unclear. We evaluate the complication rate of systemic thrombolysis in patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest caused by acute myocardial infarction, especially in relation to duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. DESIGN: The study was designed as retrospective cohort study, the risk factor being systemic thrombolysis and the end-point major haemorrhage, defined as life-threatening and/or need for transfusion. Over 10.5 years, emergency cardiac care data, therapy, major haemorrhage and outcome of 265 patients with acute myocardial infarction admitted to an emergency department after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation were registered. RESULTS: We observed major haemorrhage in 13 of 132 patients who received thrombolysis (10%, 95% confidence interval 5-15%), five of these survived to discharge, none died because of this complication. Major haemorrhage occurred in seven of 133 patients in whom no thrombolytic treatment had been given (5%, 95% confidence interval 1-9%), two of these survived to discharge. Taking into account baseline imbalances between the groups, the risk of bleeding was slightly increased if thrombolytics were used (odds ratio 2.5, 95% confidence interval 0.9-7.4) but this was not significant (P = 0.09). There was no clear association between duration of resuscitation and bleeding complications (z for trend = 1.52, P = 0.12). Survival was not significantly better in patients receiving thrombolysis (odds ratio 1.6, 0.9-3.0, P = 0.12). CONCLUSIONS: Bleeding complications after cardiopulmonary resuscitation are frequent, particularly in patients with thrombolytic treatment, but do not appear to be related to the duration of resuscitation. In the light of possible benefits on outcome, thrombolytic treatment should not be withheld in carefully selected patients.