Cangrelor improves heart function recovery in cardiogenic shock patients

A substudy of the randomized DAPT-SHOCK-AMI trial indicates that intravenous cangrelor may lead to better recovery of heart function in patients experiencing cardiogenic shock following a heart attack.

In the imaging substudy, patients receiving cangrelor showed less microvascular obstruction and greater recovery of left ventricular function compared to those receiving crushed oral ticagrelor. The trial, which involved 605 patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention, found that 100 percent of the analyzed cangrelor group achieved the primary laboratory endpoint of effective platelet inhibition, compared to 22 percent in the ticagrelor group.

Researchers noted that cardiogenic shock can impair the absorption of oral antiplatelet medications. While these findings are significant for this high-risk population, the study authors stated that the imaging results are hypothesis-generating and do not yet establish that cangrelor improves survival or prevents long-term heart failure.