Randomized evaluation of the safety and efficacy of enoxaparin versus unfractionated heparin in high-risk patients with non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes receiving the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor eptifibatide.

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Abstract
Background— Current pharmacotherapeutic options for high-risk non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome patients include aspirin, clopidogrel, heparin, and platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition. A key issue of uncertainty is the safety and efficacy of combination glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor and low-molecular-weight heparin therapy. Methods and Results— We randomized 746 patients with rest ischemic discomfort within 24 hours after the onset of symptoms and ST-segment deviation and/or elevation of serum cardiac markers to receive open-label enoxaparin (1 mg/kg subcutaneously twice daily) or unfractionated heparin (70-U/kg bolus; 15 U · kg −1 · h −1 infusion, titrated to an activated partial thromboplastin time of 1.5 to 2 times control) for 48 hours. All patients received aspirin and eptifibatide (180-μg/kg bolus; 2 μg · kg −1 · min −1 infusion). Major non-coronary artery bypass surgery-related bleeding at 96 hours (primary safety outcome) was significantly lower among enoxaparin-treated patients than among heparin-treated patients (1.8% versus 4.6%, P =0.03). Minor bleeding was more frequent in the enoxaparin group (30.3% versus 20.8%, P =0.003). Patients in the enoxaparin group were less likely to experience ischemia as detected by continuous ECG evaluation (primary efficacy outcome) during the initial (14.3% versus 25.4%, P =0.0002) and subsequent (12.7% versus 25.9%, P P =0.031). Conclusions— When aspirin and eptifibatide are used in high-risk non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndrome patients, enoxaparin improves outcomes (determined on the basis of better safety and efficacy) compared with currently recommended unfractionated heparin therapy and provides a useful novel alternative therapeutic strategy.

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