The Safety and Efficacy of Continuous Tirofiban as a Monoantiplatelet Therapy in the Management of Ruptured Aneurysms Treated Using Stent-Assisted Coiling or Flow Diversion and Requiring Ventricular Drainage

Background Hemorrhagic complications are a major concern for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage patients treated with stenting or stent-assisted coiling and undergoing additional procedures such as shunting, ventriculostomy placement, and craniotomies/craniectomies. Objective To assess the safety and efficacy of using a continuous infusion of tirofiban as a monoantiplatelet therapy in the management of ruptured aneurysms in the setting of either stent-assisted coiling (SAC) or flow diversion devices (FDD) in patients requiring either an external ventricular drain (EVD) or ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS). Methods Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) patients between July 2017 and September 2018 who were treated with SAC or FDD were started on a continuous tirofiban infusion protocol (0.10 μg/kg/min) with no preceding loading dose as a monoantiplatelet therapy. Safety analysis was performed retrospectively to assess the complication rate, hemorrhagic rate, and rate of ischemic events. There were no hemorrhages related to the VPS surgery. Results Nineteen subjects were included in the series. The patients received a total of 25 procedures that included 19 EVDs and 6 VPSs. Two patients (8.3%) developed small asymptomatic track hemorrhages after EVD placement. One patient developed a large retroperitoneal hemorrhage due to renal artery branch injury during procedure, and another patient developed an idiosyncratic transient thrombocytopenia which resolved after stopping the medication. One patient (4%) developed a transient ischemic attack, which resolved after a bolus of tirofiban. Conclusion Our study suggests that long-term use of intravenous tirofiban monotherapy in aSAH subjects for endovascular SAC or FDD is safe in the perioperative setting.