Safety and efficacy of abciximab in older adults undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Abstract

As a result of increased cost and bleeding concerns, older patients receive abciximab during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) less often than younger patients. The aim of this was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of abciximab in older adults undergoing PCI. Retrospective, observational single centre cohort study. The British Cardiovascular Intervention Society (BCIS) database was used to establish the impact of abciximab in people with advanced age (≥ 75 years) on in-hospital bleeding and ischaemic events and all-cause mortality in 5727 consecutive patients undergoing PCI between January 2008 and June 2014. Older patients represented 23% of the study population (n = 1298). Abciximab was used in 198 (15%) older patients and 970 (22%) younger patients (p < 0.001). Unadjusted bleeding and mortality rates were 1.2% and 5.6%, respectively, vs. 0.4% and 1.7% in younger patients (p = 0.001 and p < 0.001 respectively). On multivariate analysis older subjects were at higher risk of bleeding [odds ratio (OR) 2.76, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.26-6.04, p = 0.011] and had higher in-hospital mortality (OR 2.36, 95% CI 1.48-3.74, p < 0.001). The use of abciximab in older patients was not significantly associated with excess bleeding (adjusted OR 1.86, 95% CI 0.58-5.93, p = 0.3), ischaemic outcomes (adjusted OR, 95% CI, p = 0.12) or in-hospital mortality (adjusted OR, 95% CI, p = 0.11). Older patients having primary PCI had higher risk of bleeding irrespective of abciximab use (adjusted p = 0.042). Abciximab may not be associated with excess bleeding complications in older patients compared with younger individuals and may be safe to use in older people if indicated.