Role of intravenous P2Y(12) inhibition in high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-7-2025

Publication Title

Cardiovasc Revasc Med

Keywords

Acute coronary syndrome; Complex high-risk–indicated patients; Percutaneous coronary intervention; Thrombotic risk

Abstract

Technological advancements have improved safety and efficacy outcomes in patients undergoing complex and high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Increasingly, patients present to the cardiac catheterization laboratory both acutely and electively with advanced age, multiple comorbidities, and complex anatomy, representing a higher-risk group of patients who also may have the most to gain from percutaneous revascularization, as their response to medical therapy is usually limited and surgical risks may be prohibitive. These patients typically face thrombosis, slow flow, and other adverse events during and after PCI, which carry significant risk, especially given patients' poor surgical candidacy. Accordingly, optimal antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapies are pivotal to limiting periprocedural thrombotic risk. Oral P2Y(12) inhibitors have proven effective in reducing short-term and long-term cardiovascular events, although reduced bioavailability and delayed onset of action limit their efficacy during the procedural and immediate aftermath phases of PCI. Although intravenous glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors are effective in reducing thrombotic events, bleeding risks have attenuated their use, and recent guidelines relegate their use to bailout. Best practices concerning intraprocedural antiplatelet therapies in patients undergoing complex PCI therefore remain unclear. The inherently high risks of thrombosis and bleeding among these patients must be balanced and considered when determining an antiplatelet strategy. Given the potential advantages of achieving potent but rapidly reversible P2Y(12) inhibition in high-risk PCI, we review the data surrounding intravenous P2Y(12) inhibition in this setting and provide best practice recommendations for clinical use.

PubMed ID

41372026

ePublication

ePub ahead of print

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