Impact of pre-PCI activated clotting time on outcomes of bivalirudin versus heparin during primary PCI

BACKGROUND: The BRIGHT-4 trial demonstrated that procedural anticoagulation with bivalirudin followed by a median 3-hour high-dose infusion reduced the 30-day composite of all-cause mortality or Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) types 3 to 5 bleeding compared with heparin alone among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Whether the pre-PCI activated clotting time (ACT) influences this benefit is unknown. In the study, we aim to investigate whether the pre-PCI ACT levels affected the outcomes with each anticoagulant. METHODS: The BRIGHT-4 protocol required a pre-PCI ACT to be assessed 5 minutes after study medications were administered with additional anticoagulant boluses given to achieve an ACT ≥225 seconds. In the present prespecified analysis, 30-day outcomes were analyzed according to the initial pre-PCI ACT level. RESULTS: The initial pre-PCI ACT was <225 seconds in 971 of 5461 (17.8%) patients, including 123 of 2776 (4.4%) after bivalirudin and 848 of 2685 (31.6%) after heparin (P < .0001). Among 4490 of 5461 (82.2%) patients with an initial ACT ≥225 seconds, bivalirudin was associated with a lower incidence of BARC types 3 to 5 bleeding (0.2% vs 0.8%; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.22; 95% CI, 0.08-0.62; P = .004) and stent thrombosis (0.4% vs 1.0%; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.38; 95% CI, 0.18-0.81; P = .01) compared with heparin. Outcomes were not significantly different in bivalirudin and heparin-treated patients with an initial pre-PCI ACT <225 seconds. There were no significant interactions present between pre-PCI ACT strata and the treatment group for the primary end point or any of the secondary end points. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing PCI with radial artery access, procedural anticoagulation with bivalirudin was associated with lower 30-day rates of mortality, BARC types 3 to 5 bleeding, and stent thrombosis compared with heparin, findings that were consistent regardless of the pre-PCI ACT level.

Abstract sourced from PubMed (NCBI) for the cited record. See the original publication for the authoritative version.

Pre-specified analysis of pre-PCI activated clotting time impact on bivalirudin-vs-heparin outcomes during primary PCI.

Leech-derived molecules this paper discusses, each with a full profile in the ASH compound registry:

Erfahren Sie, wie diese Forschung mit der klinischen Praxis verknüpft ist

More peer-reviewed studies in Arzneimittelentwicklung.

• Novel Leech Antimicrobial Peptides — Hirunipins — Kumar et al. (2025)
• Medicinal Leech Genome Assembly — Anticoagulant Gene Catalog — Kvist et al. (2020)
• Effects of hirudotherapy on liver functions, lipid profile, and insulin sensitivity in rats with metabolic syndrome — Bilden A et al. (2026)
• Hirudotherapy in Medicine and Dentistry — Jha K et al. (2015)
• Medicinal leech therapy (hirudotherapy): a brief overview — Singh A (2010)
• HIRUDOTHERAPY IN PRESBYACUZIS PRAECOX IN CLEAN-UP WORKERS AFTER THE CHORNOBYL ACCIDENT DURING THE POST-CATASTROPHE YEARS — Zabolotnyi D, Mishchanchuk N (2019)
• Investigation of oxidant-antioxidant status in patients treated with hirudotherapy: an experimental study — Sarikan I, Savas H (2024)
• Leech therapeutic applications — Abdualkader A et al. (2013)
• Non-Occlusive Mesenteric Ischemia Due to Hirudotherapy: A Case Report — Akalın Ç, Ekmen N (2020)
• Leech therapy: a history — Hyson J (2005)

Browse all ASH-analysed research →