Experimental anti-blood-clotting drug may benefit patients before heart surgery.

HealthDay (1/18, Dotinga) reports that cangrelor, "an experimental anti-blood-clotting drug, can serve as a replacement for other drugs such as Plavix [clopidogrel bisulfate] in the days before heart surgery," according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Investigators "gave cangrelor or a placebo to 210 patients who were about to undergo coronary artery bypass grafting." The participants "had been treated with a thienopyridine (such as Plavix) but went off the drugs prior to surgery as recommended, then received cangrelor or placebo for at least 48 hours until one to six hours before surgery."

        HeartWire (1/18, Hughes) reports that the researchers found that "more patients had low levels of platelet reactivity -- under 240 platelet reactivity units (PRU) -- throughout the treatment period compared with placebo." The investigators also reported that "there was no significant difference in major bleeding prior to CABG surgery, although minor bleeding episodes were numerically higher with cangrelor." For a clinical perspective on this article, go to CardioSource.org.