American Society of Hirudotherapy

The safety and effectiveness of bivalirudin in female patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary angioplasty: A subgroup analysis of the BRIGHT trial

Randomized controlled trial published in Catheter Cardiovasc Interv (2016)

Last Updated: June 18, 2026Reviewed by: ASH Editorial Board
Research article — evidence reviewArticle reference
Evidence: Randomized controlled trialDrug DevelopmentClinical TrialsLiang Z et al. · Catheter Cardiovasc Interv, 2016

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Being female is an independent predictor of adverse events during percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the safety and efficiency of bivalirudin during emergency PCI in female patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: The present study was a subgroup analysis of the randomized Bivalirudin in Acute Myocardial Infarction vs. Heparin and GPI plus Heparin (BRIGHT) trial. A total of 392 female patients enrolled in the BRIGHT trial were assigned to receive bivalirudin with post-procedure dose infusion (n = 127) or heparin with or without tirofiban (n = 265). The primary efficiency endpoint was 30-day net adverse clinical events (NACEs). The secondary efficiency endpoints were 30-day major cardiac and cerebral events (MACCEs) and bleeding events defined according to Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) definitions. RESULTS: For female patients, bivalirudin treatment was associated with significantly lower incidences of 30-day NACEs (6.3% vs. 21.5%, P < 0.001), any bleeding (2.4% vs. 12.8%, P = 0.001) and BARC 2-5 type bleeding (1.6% vs. 7.2%, P = 0.021) compared with the control regimen. The incidence of MACCEs (3.4% vs. 9.4%, P = 0.055) and stent thrombosis (0% vs. 1.1%, P = 0.229) were comparable between the two groups. Multivariate analysis showed that bivalirudin (OR: 0.245, 95% CI: 0.113-0.532, P < 0.001), transradial access (OR: 0.119, 95% CI: 0.067-0.211, P < 0.001), and statin (OR: 0.254, 95% CI: 0.08-0.807, P = 0.02) were independent protective factors for 30-day NACEs in female patients. CONCLUSIONS: The use of bivalirudin during emergency PCI for AMI in female patients significantly reduced the bleeding risk with anticoagulation effects compared with heparin with or without tirofiban.

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

Publication typeComparative StudyJournal ArticleMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled TrialResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Indexed MeSH termsAgedAnticoagulantsAntithrombinsChi-Square DistributionCoronary ThrombosisDrug Therapy, CombinationDrug-Eluting StentsEmergency TreatmentFemaleHemorrhageHeparinHirudins

Summary

BRIGHT trial subgroup of 392 female patients showed bivalirudin reduced 30-day NACE 6.3% vs 21.5% with comparable MACCE rates.

Why This Matters for Hirudotherapy

This pre-specified subgroup analysis of the randomized BRIGHT trial evaluated bivalirudin versus heparin (with or without tirofiban) in 392 female patients undergoing primary PCI for acute myocardial infarction, finding bivalirudin was associated with significantly lower 30-day net adverse clinical events (6.3% vs. 21.5%) and less any-bleeding (2.4% vs. 12.8%), with comparable rates of major cardiac/cerebral events and stent thrombosis. This is among the more directly relevant cardiology entries for ASH because bivalirudin is a bivalent direct thrombin inhibitor engineered from hirudin, the anticoagulant peptide of the medicinal leech — a concrete example of the leech secretome maturing into an approved, trial-tested drug. Honest caveat: this is a single-trial subgroup (secondary) analysis, so the female-specific bleeding benefit is hypothesis-supporting rather than definitive, and the study concerns a hirudin-derived pharmaceutical, not leech therapy as practiced clinically.

Citation

The safety and effectiveness of bivalirudin in female patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing primary angioplasty: A subgroup analysis of the BRIGHT trial.

Liang Z et al. · Catheter Cardiovasc Interv, 2016

Added to ASH library: May 27, 2026 · Site last updated: June 18, 2026

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