Efficacy and safety of bivalirudin during percutaneous coronary intervention in high‐bleeding‐risk elderly patients with chronic total occlusion: A prospective randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: To assess the efficacy and safety of bivalirudin during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for chronic total occlusion (CTO) in high-bleeding-risk elderly patients. BACKGROUND: Bivalirudin reduces PCI-related bleeding; however, its efficacy and safety in patients with CTO, especially elderly patients with a high bleeding risk, remain unclear. METHODS: This single-center prospective randomized controlled trial assigned 123 high-bleeding-risk elderly patients with CTO to either the unfractionated heparin (UFH) group (n = 55) or the bivalirudin group (n = 68). The primary efficacy endpoint was the incidence of major adverse cardiac events (MACEs) during hospitalization and at the 6-month follow-up. The safety endpoint was bleeding or procedure (access)-related complications after PCI. RESULTS: MACE incidence was 17.6% and 20.0% in the bivalirudin and UFH groups, respectively (P = 0.82). Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 1-2 bleeding events during hospitalization were comparable between the groups (UFH: 10.9% vs. bivalirudin: 8.8%, P = 0.77). No BARC type 3-5 bleeding events or severe procedure (access)-related complications (subcutaneous hematoma >5 cm) occurred in either group. At the 6-month follow-up, MACE incidence was comparable between the groups (UFH: 3.6% vs. bivalirudin: 1.5%, P = 0.59). The Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed that MACE-free survival rates were comparable between the groups (P = 0.43). One case of BARC type 3-5 bleeding (fatal intracranial hemorrhage) was observed in the UFH group at the 6-month follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Bivalirudin and UFH showed comparable efficacy and safety in elderly patients with a high bleeding risk, undergoing PCI for CTO lesions.