Ticagrelor administered through a nasogastric tube to comatose patients after cardiac arrest achieved sufficient platelet inhibition, with only 12% exhibiting high platelet reactivity at 12 hours.
Observational (n=44)
Does ticagrelor administered through a nasogastric tube provide sufficient platelet inhibition in comatose patients undergoing pPCI after OHCA?
Crushed ticagrelor administered via nasogastric tube provides adequate and timely platelet inhibition in comatose patients undergoing pPCI after cardiac arrest.
AIMS: Patients in a coma after cardiac arrest may have adversely affected drug absorption and metabolism. This study, the first of its kind, aimed to investigate the early pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic effects of ticagrelor administered through a nasogastric tube (NGT) to patients resuscitated after an out of hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) and undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). METHODS AND RESULTS: Blood samples were drawn at baseline and at two, four, six, eight, 12, and 24 hours and then daily for up to five days after administration of a 180 mg ticagrelor loading dose (LD), followed by 90 mg twice daily in 44 patients. The primary endpoint was the occurrence of high platelet reactivity (HPR) 12 hours after the LD. Assessment by VerifyNow (VFN) showed 96 (15.25-140.5) platelet reactivity units (PRU), and five (12%) patients exhibited HPR. Multiplate analysis showed 19 (12-29) units (U) at twelve hours, and three patients (7%) had HPR. Ticagrelor and its main metabolite AR-C124910XX concentrations were 85.2 (37.2-178.5) and 18.3 (6.4-52.4) ng/mL. Median times to sufficient platelet inhibition below the HPR limit were 3 (2-6) hours (VFN) and 4 (2-8) hours (Multiplate). CONCLUSIONS: Ticagrelor, administered as crushed tablets through a nasogastric tube, leads to sufficient platelet inhibition after 12 hours, and in many cases earlier, in the vast majority of patients undergoing pPCI and subsequent intensive care management after an OHCA.
Ratcovich et al. (Wed,) conducted a observational in Comatose after out of hospital cardiac arrest undergoing primary PCI (n=44). Ticagrelor administered through a nasogastric tube was evaluated on Occurrence of high platelet reactivity (HPR) 12 hours after the loading dose. Ticagrelor administered through a nasogastric tube to comatose patients after cardiac arrest achieved sufficient platelet inhibition, with only 12% exhibiting high platelet reactivity at 12 hours.