Drug Reduces Stroke Risk During Bypass Surgery

A large-scale analysis of 35 studies has revealed that a drug called aprotinin reduces the risk of stroke by 47% in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The findings were published in the September 2003 issue of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

Patients undergoing CABG surgery may be exposed to thousands of cerebral blood clots that significantly increase the risk of stroke. Aprotinin can greatly reduce that risk, as well as reducing the need for a blood transfusion by 39%. Blood transfusions during CABG surgery have been associated with an increased risk of stroke. In addition, the study found that aprotinin therapy contributed toward reduced atrial fibrillation and did not increase the risk of adverse events, including mortality, myocardial infarction, and renal failure.

"Our results highlight that aprotinin therapy might be recommended in all primary CABG surgeries after applicability to individual centers and patients is considered,” said lead investigator Artyom Sedrakyan, M.D., a researcher at Yale School of Medicine (New Haven, CT, USA) "About 10 strokes could be avoided in every 1,000 CABG patients with the use of aprotinin, which is a substantial stroke reduction benefit.”




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