(Press-News.org) Contact information: Judy Romero
jromero@crf.org
Cardiovascular Research Foundation
Study finds pre-hospital administration of bivalirudin substantially improves outcomes compared to heparin in heart attack patients
Results of the EUROMAX trial presented at TCT 2013; findings simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine
	SAN FRANCISCO, CA – October 30, 2013 – According to a new study, administering the blood thinner bivalirudin to patients experiencing an ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI, the most serious form of a heart attack) in a pre-hospital setting can reduce the risk of death and major bleeding complications compared to heparin with optional use of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors.
	Findings from the EUROMAX trial were reported today at the 25th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF), TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. Results of the trial were simultaneously published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. 
	The EUROMAX trial evaluated the administration of anticoagulant therapy prior to hospital admission by an emergency medical team. The trial compared a heparin-based strategy (with or without glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors (GPIs) to a bivalirudin-based strategy. The primary endpoint was a composite incidence of death or non-coronary-artery-bypass-graft related protocol major bleeding at 30 days, assessed by intention to treat. 
	While bivalirudin has been compared to other blood thinners in hospital settings, the EUROMAX study is the first to evaluate these anticoagulant therapy options prior to hospital admission and in conjunction with newer P2Y12 inhibitors such as prasugrel and ticagrelor. The randomized, international, prospective, open-label ambulance trial enrolled 2,198 patients with STEMI and intended for primary PCI, presenting either via ambulance or to centers where PCI is not performed. 
	Patients either received bivalirudin (n=1,089) or heparin (n=1,109) at guideline-recommended doses (with or without routine or bailout GPI). 
	After 30 days, patients that received bivalirudin, as compared with the heparin group, experienced a significantly lower rate of death and major bleeding (5.1 percent vs. 8.4 percent, respectively). The secondary composite outcome of death, reinfarction and major bleeding at 30 days was also reduced with bivalirudin (6.7 percent in the bivalirudin group compared to 9.1 percent in the heparin group).  Despite a lower rate of bleeding complications in the bivalirudin-treated patients, the risk of acute stent thrombosis was higher in the bivalirudin group compared to the heparin group (1.1 percent vs. 0.2 percent, respectively), findings that parallel those observed in the HORIZONS-AMI trial.
	"The benefits of bivalirudin stemmed from a substantial reduction in major bleeding and were robust and consistent across subgroups, regardless of the adjunctive oral antiplatelet therapy or the arterial access route used for angioplasty," said lead investigator Philippe Gabriel Steg, MD. Dr. Steg is the Director of the Coronary Care Unit at the Hopital Bichat at Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris in France.  
	"Findings from EUROMAX provide important additional insights into the role of bivalirudin in the pre-hospital setting prior to primary PCI."
	###
	The EUROMAX trial was funded by The Medicines Company. Dr. Steg reported research grant support from New York School of Medicine, Sanofi, and Servier; speaking or consulting for Amarin, AstraZeneca, Bayer, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Daiichi-Sankyo, Glaxo-SmithKline, Lilly,  Medtronic, Novartis, Otsuka, Pfizer, Sanofi, Servier, The Medicines Company, and Vivus; and holds stock in Aterovax.
	About CRF and TCT
The Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) is an independent, academically focused nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the survival and quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease through research and education. Since its inception in 1991, CRF has played a major role in realizing dramatic improvements in the lives of countless numbers of patients by establishing the safe use of new technologies and therapies in interventional cardiovascular medicine. CRF is the sponsor of the Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, TCT is the world's premier educational meeting specializing in interventional cardiovascular medicine. For more information, visit http://www.crf.org and http://www.tctconference.com.
Study finds pre-hospital administration of bivalirudin substantially improves outcomes compared to heparin in heart attack patients
Results of the EUROMAX trial presented at TCT 2013; findings simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine
2013-10-30
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
HPV vaccination rates alarmingly low among young adult women in South
2013-10-30
HPV vaccination rates alarmingly low among young adult women in South
Rates vary by region; indicate need for publicly funded vaccine programs
	GALVESTON, Texas -- Initiation and completion rates for the human papillomavirus vaccine series ...
NASA sees Tropical Storm Krosa approach the Philippines
2013-10-30
NASA sees Tropical Storm Krosa approach the Philippines
	NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites captured visible and infrared data on intensifying Tropical Storm Krosa as it heads for a landfall in the northern Philippines. Krosa is known as "Vinta" in the Philippines.
	Several ...
Results of the TRYTON trial presented at TCT 2013
2013-10-30
Results of the TRYTON trial presented at TCT 2013
Clinical trial finds that a strategy of using of a bare metal stent in the side branch for true bifurcation coronary lesions is safe, but does not meet non-inferiority endpoint compared to provisional stenting
SAN FRANCISCO, ...
Atherosclerosis in HIV patients linked to infection, not treatment
2013-10-30
Atherosclerosis in HIV patients linked to infection, not treatment
Length of infection increases risk for atherosclerosis
	HIV infection, not antiretroviral therapy (ART), is associated with risk for atherosclerosis in patients with ...
Interventions by non-mental health specialists may improve perinatal mental health disorders
2013-10-30
Interventions by non-mental health specialists may improve perinatal mental health disorders
	In middle-income countries such as China, interventions that have a psychological or social component (often referred to as psychosocial interventions) delivered ...
Older children with HIV may need to start treatment sooner to normalize future CD4 count
2013-10-30
Older children with HIV may need to start treatment sooner to normalize future CD4 count
	Although younger children with HIV are at high risk of disease progression if not treated, new research published this week in PLOS Medicine indicates that they have ...
How poverty molds the brain
2013-10-30
How poverty molds the brain
Poor neural processing of sound linked to lower maternal education
	EVANSTON, Ill. -- Groundbreaking research nearly two decades ago linking a mother's educational background to her children's literacy and cognitive abilities ...
This week in Molecular Biology and Evolution: A step ahead of influenza, honeybee sex
2013-10-30
This week in Molecular Biology and Evolution: A step ahead of influenza, honeybee sex
	Staying a step ahead of influenza
	Every fall, the latest batch of flu vaccines attempts to keep society a step ahead of the evolution of the ...
Mount Sinai oncologists improve quality of care for cancer patients
2013-10-30
Mount Sinai oncologists improve quality of care for cancer patients
Intervention doubled palliative care consultations; lowered in-hospital mortality and hospital readmission rates
	NEW YORK, NY  –  October 29, 2013 /Press ...
Safer nuclear fuels
2013-10-30
Safer nuclear fuels
	Exploratory research on revolutionary new types of nuclear fuel pellets that would be safer in the event of a nuclear disaster has yielded promising results, according to a team of scientists from the University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Researchers at MIT develop new nanoparticles that stimulate the immune system to attack ovarian tumors
Opening the door to a vaccine for multiple childhood infections
New clue to ALS and FTD: Faulty protein disrupts brain’s ‘brake’ system
Detailed map of US air-conditioning usage shows who can beat the heat — and who can’t
An electronic fiber for stretchable sensing
New image captures spooky bat signal in the sky
Cobalt single atom-phosphate functionalized reduced graphene oxide/perylenetetracarboxylic acid nanosheet heterojunctions for efficiently photocatalytic H2O2 production
World-first study shows Australian marsupials contaminated with harmful ‘forever chemicals’
Unlocking the brain’s hidden drainage system
Enhancing smoking cessation treatment for people living with HIV
Research spotlight: Mapping how gut neurons respond to bacteria, parasites and food allergy
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Experimental Physics Investigators awards to UCSB experimentalists opens the door to new insights and innovations
Meerkats get health benefit from mob membership
COVID-19 during pregnancy linked to higher risk of neurodevelopmental disorders in children
How a chorus of synchronized frequencies helps you digest your food
UAlbany researcher partners on $1.2 million NSF grant to explore tropical monsoon rainfall patterns
Checkup time for Fido? Wait might be longer in the country
Genetic variation impact scores: A new tool for earlier heart disease detection
The Lundquist Institute awarded $9 million to launch Community Center of Excellence for Regenerative Medicine
'Really bizarre and exciting': The quantum oscillations are coming from inside
Is AI becoming selfish?
New molten salt method gives old lithium batteries a second life
Leg, foot amputations increased 65% in Illinois hospitals between 2016-2023
Moffitt studies uncover complementary strategies to overcome resistance to KRAS G12Cinhibitors in lung cancer
National summit of experts charts unprecedented roadmap to reduce harms from firearms in new ways
Global environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys significantly expand known geographic and ecological niche ranges of marine fish, highlighting current biases in conservation and ecological modeling
Hundreds of animal studies on brain damage after stroke flagged for problematic images
Prize winner’s research reveals how complex neural circuits are correctly wired during brain development
Supershear rupture sustained in thick fault zone during 2025 Mandalay earthquake, study in research package shows
Study reveals how brain cell networks stabilize memory formation
[Press-News.org] Study finds pre-hospital administration of bivalirudin substantially improves outcomes compared to heparin in heart attack patientsResults of the EUROMAX trial presented at TCT 2013; findings simultaneously published in the New England Journal of Medicine