New anti-thrombotic benefits heart patients

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

In a new study, the drug fondaparinux was found to increase survival and reduce the risk of recurrence in people who had had a heart attack.
There is an ongoing need for simple and effective anti-thrombotic therapy in patients who have had a heart attack. Drugs like heparin thin the blood and prevent new clots (thrombi) from forming. According to a new report from the OASIS trial, which is assessing treatments for heart attack, the anti-thrombotic drug fondaparinux is effective compared to usual care.

A group of over 12,000 patients who had had a type of heart attack called STEMI (ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction) were assigned to fondaparinux or usual care for up to eight days. At nine days, 30 days and the end of the study (between three and six months), death or recurrent heart attack rates were reduced among the fondaparinux group compared to the usual care group. There are many other anti-thrombotic agents, however, so the choice can be difficult for those caring for heart patients. More trials and guidance are needed but this study shows that fondaparinux does have its benefits.

Source
Journal of the American Medical Association online 14th March 2006