KK Poh, HC Tan, JWL Yip, YT Lim
Correspondence: Dr Poh Kian Keong, doctorpoh@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT
Introduction The pattern of use of abciximab in real-life clinical patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in 11 high-volume centres in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, India, Pakistan and Korea was prospectively examined.
Methods These centres enrolled 224 consecutive patients over eight months to receive abciximab during PCI for the study. The cohort consisted of 82.1 percent males, with mean age of 55 (+/- 11) years and mean weight of 67 (+/- 17) kg.
Results The use of abciximab during PCI ranged between 6.2 percent and 21.6 percent. The indications for the use of abciximab were: acute coronary syndromes (34.3 percent), complex coronary lesions (17.9 percent) and multivessel PCI (17.7 percent). Based on a risk scoring system devised for this registry, majority (60.0 percent) of the patients was considered high risk when abciximab was used. Among the patients enrolled, 36.6 percent received abciximab as a "bail-out". The overall in-hospital ischaemic event rates were low at 4.0 percent. The complication rates included major bleeding 0.7 percent, thrombocytopenia 2.7 percent and need for blood transfusion 2.8 percent. There was a trend towards a higher incidence of in-hospital non-Q myocardial infarction in the "bail-out" group (2.1 percent versus 7.3 percent, p-value equals 0.07).
Conclusion Abxicimab was uncommonly used among patients (9.4 percent) undergoing PCI in this Asian region, with the operators reserving it mainly for high-risk patients.
Keywords: abciximab, adjuvant drug therapy, angioplasty, coronary disease, percutaneous coronary intervention
Singapore Med J 2005; 46(8): 407-413
