Efficacy and safety of two unfractionated heparin dosing strategies with tenecteplase in acute myocardial infarction (results from Assessment of the Safety and Efficacy of a New Thrombolytic Regimens 2 and 3)

Am J Cardiol. 2004 Aug 1;94(3):279-83. doi: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2004.04.019.

Abstract

We investigated the effect of smaller dose, weight-adjusted heparin with earlier monitoring of activated partial thromboplastin time on the incidence of ischemic and hemorrhagic complications in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated with full-dose tenecteplase. We compared the outcomes of patients enrolled in the Second Assessment of the Safety and Efficacy of a New Thrombolytic Regimen (ASSENT-2; n = 8,461) who received heparin stratified by weight (patients weighing >67 kg received a 5,000-U bolus plus infusion at 1,000 U/hour; those weighing < or =67 kg received a 4,000-U bolus plus infusion at 800 U/hour) with patients in ASSENT-3 who received weight-adjusted heparin (60-U/kg bolus, maximum 4,000 U/hour, followed by a 12-U/kg/hour infusion, maximum 1,000 U/hour). Compared with patients in ASSENT-2, those in ASSENT-3 had similar rates of 30-day mortality, recurrent infarction, and intracranial hemorrhage, less major bleeding (2.2% vs 4.7%, p <0.001), and less refractory ischemia (6.5% vs 8.6%, p <0.001). After adjustment for baseline characteristics, patients in ASSENT-3 had similar rates of 30-day mortality (odds ratio [OR] 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77 to 1.19) and intracranial hemorrhage (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.61 to 1.69) but less major bleeding (OR 0.49, 95% CI 0.35 to 0.67) than did patients in ASSENT-2. These findings support the use of smaller dose, weight-adjusted heparin in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction treated with tenecteplase.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Confidence Intervals
  • Dose-Response Relationship, Drug
  • Drug Administration Schedule
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Electrocardiography
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight / administration & dosage*
  • Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight / adverse effects
  • Humans
  • Incidence
  • Intracranial Hemorrhages / chemically induced
  • Intracranial Hemorrhages / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Multivariate Analysis
  • Myocardial Infarction / diagnosis
  • Myocardial Infarction / drug therapy*
  • Myocardial Infarction / mortality
  • Myocardial Ischemia / chemically induced
  • Myocardial Ischemia / epidemiology
  • Partial Thromboplastin Time
  • Probability
  • Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
  • Risk Assessment
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Survival Rate
  • Tenecteplase
  • Thrombolytic Therapy / methods*
  • Tissue Plasminogen Activator / administration & dosage*
  • Tissue Plasminogen Activator / adverse effects
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight
  • Tissue Plasminogen Activator
  • Tenecteplase