BACKGROUND: Bleeding is a common and costly complication of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Little is known about the risk factors for bleeding complications.

OBJECTIVE: To report our PCI-related observations from a single institution and use the information to establish risk factors for short-term bleeding complications, with special focus on examining the importance of renal function.

METHODS: A retrospective record review was conducted of the admission of 300 patients grouped according to antithrombotic regimen: unfractionated heparin alone (n = 187), bivalirudin (n = 26), and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist plus heparin (n = 103). Bleeding and ischemic outcomes were tracked. A model was constructed to predict independent bleeding risk factors.

Published in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy

Key Words: bivalirudin, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist, heparin