TY - JOUR
T1 - Anticoagulation for critically ill cardiac surgery patients
T2 - is primary bivalirudin the next step?
AU - Pappalardo, Federico
AU - Agracheva, Nataliya
AU - Covello, Remo D aniel
AU - Pieri, Marina
AU - De Bonis, Michele
AU - Calabrò, Maria G razia
AU - Koster, Andreas
AU - Zangrillo, Alberto
PY - 2014/8/1
Y1 - 2014/8/1
N2 - OBJECTIVE: Anticoagulation with unfractionated heparin (UFH) in critically ill cardiac surgery patients has several limitations, including the risk of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. The use of a direct thrombin inhibitor, such as bivalirudin, might either treat this complication or completely eliminate it. The aim of the present study was to analyze the use of bivalirudin in this setting, as either a secondary drug switching from heparin or as the primary anticoagulant, and to evaluate clinical outcomes.DESIGN: Propensity-matching retrospective analysis.SETTING: A cardiac surgery intensive care unit.PARTICIPANTS: One hundred propensity-matched patients who received heparin or bivalirudin.INTERVENTIONS: Bivalirudin was administered as a first-line or second-line drug after heparin discontinuation in case of thrombocytopenia and suspicion of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Twenty-six patients (52%) received bivalirudin as a primary anticoagulant, while 24 patients (48%) received bivalirudin after switching from heparin.MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Bivalirudin treatment was associated with a reduction of major bleeding (p=0.05) compared with the control group. Interestingly, in an intention-to-treat analysis, patients receiving primary bivalirudin showed significant reductions in minor bleeding (p=0.04), and mortality (p=0.01) compared with the secondary bivalirudin group and, similarly, compared with the rest of the study population (UFH and secondary bivalirudin patients, p=0.01 and p=0.05, respectively). Predictors of hospital mortality by multivariate analysis included urgent admission (odds ratio [OR]=2.7; 95 confidence interval [CI], 1.03-7.2; p=0.04), ;septic shock (OR=8.0; 95 CI, 2.26-28.7; pCONCLUSIONS: Novel anticoagulant strategies might play a crucial role in critically ill cardiac surgery patients. In a propensity-matched population, results of the present study showed that primary bivalirudin anticoagulation may reduce bleeding complications and mortality.
AB - OBJECTIVE: Anticoagulation with unfractionated heparin (UFH) in critically ill cardiac surgery patients has several limitations, including the risk of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. The use of a direct thrombin inhibitor, such as bivalirudin, might either treat this complication or completely eliminate it. The aim of the present study was to analyze the use of bivalirudin in this setting, as either a secondary drug switching from heparin or as the primary anticoagulant, and to evaluate clinical outcomes.DESIGN: Propensity-matching retrospective analysis.SETTING: A cardiac surgery intensive care unit.PARTICIPANTS: One hundred propensity-matched patients who received heparin or bivalirudin.INTERVENTIONS: Bivalirudin was administered as a first-line or second-line drug after heparin discontinuation in case of thrombocytopenia and suspicion of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia. Twenty-six patients (52%) received bivalirudin as a primary anticoagulant, while 24 patients (48%) received bivalirudin after switching from heparin.MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Bivalirudin treatment was associated with a reduction of major bleeding (p=0.05) compared with the control group. Interestingly, in an intention-to-treat analysis, patients receiving primary bivalirudin showed significant reductions in minor bleeding (p=0.04), and mortality (p=0.01) compared with the secondary bivalirudin group and, similarly, compared with the rest of the study population (UFH and secondary bivalirudin patients, p=0.01 and p=0.05, respectively). Predictors of hospital mortality by multivariate analysis included urgent admission (odds ratio [OR]=2.7; 95 confidence interval [CI], 1.03-7.2; p=0.04), ;septic shock (OR=8.0; 95 CI, 2.26-28.7; pCONCLUSIONS: Novel anticoagulant strategies might play a crucial role in critically ill cardiac surgery patients. In a propensity-matched population, results of the present study showed that primary bivalirudin anticoagulation may reduce bleeding complications and mortality.
KW - bivalirudin
KW - cardiac surgery
KW - heparin
KW - heparin-induced thrombocytopenia
KW - mortality
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U2 - 10.1053/j.jvca.2013.10.004
DO - 10.1053/j.jvca.2013.10.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 24447496
AN - SCOPUS:84905756766
VL - 28
SP - 1013
EP - 1017
JO - Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia
JF - Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia
SN - 1053-0770
IS - 4
ER -