Long-term efficacy of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa integrin blockade with eptifibatide in coronary stent intervention

Context: In the Enhanced Suppression of the Platelet IIb/IIIa Receptor with Integrilin Therapy (ESPRIT) trial, treatment with eptifibatide, a platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa integrin blocker, was found to reduce the ischemic complications of nonurgent coronary stent implantation at 48 hours and 30 days. Objective: To determine whether eptifibatide treatment continues to provide durable, long-term benefit after coronary stent intervention. Design and Setting: The ESPRIT trial was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, crossover-permitted trial conducted from June 1999 through February 2000 at 92 tertiary care centers in the United States and Canada. Participants: A total of 2064 patients scheduled to undergo nonurgent percutaneous coronary intervention with stent implantation. Intervention: Patients were randomly assigned to receive placebo (n=1024) or eptifibatide (two 180-μg/kg boluses, 10 minutes apart, with a continuous infusion of 2.0 μg/kg per minute; n=1040), started immediately before stent implantation and continued for 18 to 24 hours. Patients also received aspirin, heparin, and a thienopyridine. Main Outcome Measures: Composite rates of death or myocardial infarction (MI) and death, infarction, or target vessel revascularization during the 12 months after enrollment. Results: Complete follow-up data were available for 988 patients given eptifibatide (95.0%) and 976 patients given placebo (95.3%). By 12 months, the composite of death or MI had occurred in 8.0% of eptifibatide-treated patients and in 12.4% of placebo-treated patients (hazard ratio [HR], 0.63; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.48-0.83; P=.001). The composite rate of death, MI, or target vessel revascularization was 17.5% in eptifibatide-treated patients vs 22.1% in placebo-treated patients (HR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.63-0.93; P=.007). Conclusions: Long-term outcomes of nonurgent coronary stent implantation appear to be improved through blockade of the platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa integrin with eptifibatide.