Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors improve mortality after aspiration thrombectomy in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Abstract

Manual catheter based thrombus aspiration (TA) can reduce distal embolization of thrombus fragments during subsequent balloon inflation or stent placement, with resultant enhanced downstream microvascular function. Evidence from a previous RCT suggests that patients who were randomized to both abciximab and TA had lower infarct size than patients who were randomized to TA or abciximab alone [1]. A recent meta-analysis showed that TA along with primary PCI reduces major adverse cardiovascular events, reinfarction and stent thrombosis, but does not affect 30-day mortality, compared with primary PCI [2].