Premium
Acute Profound Thrombocytopenia Associated with Eptifibatide Therapy
Author(s) -
Nagge Jeff,
Jackevicius Cynthia,
Dzavik Vladimir,
Ross John R.,
Seidelin Peter
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
pharmacotherapy: the journal of human pharmacology and drug therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.227
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1875-9114
pISSN - 0277-0008
DOI - 10.1592/phco.23.3.374.32107
Subject(s) - eptifibatide , tirofiban , abciximab , medicine , percutaneous coronary intervention , platelet , acute coronary syndrome , anesthesia , myocardial infarction
An 80‐year‐old woman and a 79‐year‐old man underwent urgent percutaneous coronary intervention and received adjunctive eptifibatide. Platelet counts in both patients fell to below 20 times 10 3 /mm 3 within 4 hours of eptifibatide administration. Reports in the medical literature reinforce the importance of recognizing that eptifibatide can cause acute profound thrombocytopenia. All three available glycoprotein IIb‐IIIa inhibitors—abciximab, eptifibatide, and tirofiban—have been associated with the development of this disorder. Thus, clinicians should routinely monitor platelet counts in patients receiving glycoprotein IIb‐IIIa inhibitors within 2–4 hours of the start of the infusion.