Immediate vs delayed intervention for acute coronary syndromes: a randomized clinical trial

JAMA. 2009 Sep 2;302(9):947-54. doi: 10.1001/jama.2009.1267.

Abstract

Context: International guidelines recommend an early invasive strategy for patients with high-risk acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation, but the optimal timing of intervention is uncertain.

Objective: To determine whether immediate intervention on admission can result in a reduction of myocardial infarction compared with a delayed intervention.

Design, setting, and patients: The Angioplasty to Blunt the Rise of Troponin in Acute Coronary Syndromes Randomized for an Immediate or Delayed Intervention (ABOARD) study, a randomized clinical trial that assigned, from August 2006 through September 2008 at 13 centers in France, 352 patients with acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation and a Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score of 3 or more to receive intervention either immediately or on the next working day (between 8 and 60 hours after enrollment).

Main outcome measures: The primary end point was the peak troponin value during hospitalization; the key secondary end point was the composite of death, myocardial infarction, or urgent revascularization at 1-month follow-up.

Results: Time from randomization to sheath insertion was 70 minutes with immediate intervention vs 21 hours with delayed intervention. The primary end point did not differ between the 2 strategies (median [interquartile range] troponin I value, 2.1 [0.3-7.1] ng/mL vs 1.7 [0.3-7.2] ng/mL in the immediate and delayed intervention groups, respectively; P = .70). The key secondary end point was observed in 13.7% (95% confidence interval, 8.6%-18.8%) of the group assigned to receive immediate intervention and 10.2% (95% confidence interval, 5.7%-14.6%) of the group assigned to receive delayed intervention (P = .31). The other end points, as well as major bleeding, did not differ between the 2 strategies.

Conclusion: In patients with acute coronary syndromes without ST-segment elevation, a strategy of immediate intervention compared with a strategy of intervention deferred to the next working day (mean, 21 hours) did not result in a difference in myocardial infarction as defined by peak troponin level.

Trial registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00442949.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Multicenter Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Abciximab
  • Acute Coronary Syndrome / blood
  • Acute Coronary Syndrome / mortality
  • Acute Coronary Syndrome / therapy*
  • Aged
  • Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use
  • Anticoagulants / therapeutic use
  • Cardiac Catheterization
  • Coronary Artery Bypass
  • Female
  • Hemorrhage / epidemiology
  • Hospitalization
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments / therapeutic use
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Infarction / blood
  • Myocardial Infarction / mortality
  • Myocardial Infarction / prevention & control
  • Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Troponin / blood

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Anticoagulants
  • Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments
  • Troponin
  • Abciximab

Associated data

  • ClinicalTrials.gov/NCT00442949