Safety and Efficacy of Tirofiban During Intravenous Thrombolysis Bridging to Mechanical Thrombectomy for Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients: A Meta-Analysis.

Abstract

IntroductionThe safety and efficacy of tirofiban in intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) bridging to mechanical thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is unknown. The purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of tirofiban in IVT bridging to mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke.MethodsWe systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and The Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wan Fang databases for randomized controlled trials and observational studies (case-control studies and cohort studies) comparing the tirofiban and non-tirofiban groups in AIS intravenous thrombolysis bridging to mechanical thrombectomy (Published by November 20, 2021). Our primary safety endpoints were symptomatic cerebral hemorrhage (sICH), intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), postoperative re-occlusion, and 3-month mortality; the efficacy endpoints were 3-month favorable functional outcome (MRS ≤ 2) and successful recanalization rate (modified thrombolytic therapy in cerebral infarction (mTICI) 2b or 3).ResultsA total of 7 studies with 1,176 patients were included in this meta-analysis. A comprehensive analysis of the included literature showed that the difference between the tirofiban and non-tirofiban groups in terms of successful recanalization (OR = 1.19, 95% Cl [0.69, 2.03], p = 0.53, I2 = 22%) and favorable functional outcome at 3 months (OR = 1.13, 95% Cl [0.81, 1.60], p = 0.47, I2 = 17%) in patients with IVT bridging mechanical thrombectomy of AIS was not statistically significant. Also, the differences in the incidence of sICH (OR = 0.97, 95% Cl [0.58, 1.62], p = 0.89) and ICH (OR = 0.83, 95% Cl [0.55, 1.24], p = 0.36) between the two groups were not statistically significant. However, the use of tirofiban during IVT bridging mechanical thrombectomy reduced the rate of postoperative re-occlusion (OR = 0.36, 95% Cl [0.14, 0.91], p = 0.03) and mortality within 3 months (OR = 0.54, 95% Cl [0.33, 0.87], p = 0.01) in patients.ConclusionThe use of tirofiban during IVT bridging mechanical thrombectomy for AIS does not increase the risk of sICH and ICH in patients and reduces the risk of postoperative re-occlusion and mortality in patients within 3 months. However, this result needs to be further confirmed by additional large-sample, multicenter, prospective randomized controlled trials.Systematic Review Registrationhttp://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, identifier: CRD42022297441.