ABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: The synthetic arginine-derived direct thrombin inhibitor argatroban is an attractive anticoagulant for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), because of its rapid onset and offset, and its hepatic elimination. Argatroban was approved for PCI in patients with heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT). However, there are limited data about argatroban in non-HIT patients. The objective of this open-label, multiple-dose, controlled study was to examine the safety and efficacy of argatroban in patients undergoing elective PCI. METHODS AND RESULTS: Of 140 patients randomized to three argatroban dose groups (ARG250, ARG300, and ARG350 with 250, 300, or 350 µg/kg bolus, followed by 15, 20, or 25 µg/kg/min infusion) and one unfractionated heparin (UFH) group (70-100 IU/kg bolus), 138 patients were analyzed. Argatroban dose-dependently prolonged activated clotting time (ACT) with more patients reaching the minimum target ACT after the initial bolus injection (ARG250: 86.1%, ARG300: 89.5%, and ARG350: 96.8%) compared to 45.5% in UFH (p<0.001). The patient proportion who did not require additional bolus injections to start PCI was significantly higher in argatroban than in UFH (p ≤ 0.002). Consequently, the time to start of PCI was shortened in argatroban groups. Composite incidences of death, myocardial infarction, and urgent revascularization until day 30 were not significantly different between the groups (ARG250: 2.8%, ARG300: 0.0%, ARG350: 3.2% vs. UFH: 3.0%). Major bleeding was observed only in UFH (3.0%), while minor bleeding occurred in ARG350 (3.2%) and UFH (6.1%, n.s.). CONCLUSION: Argatroban dose-dependently increases coagulation parameters and, compared to UFH, demonstrates a superior predictable anticoagulant effect in patients undergoing elective PCI.