Eptifibatide-induced thrombocytopenia

Glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors reduce major adverse coronary events in patients with acute coronary syndromes undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). Unlike the other GPIIb/IIIa inhibitors, eptifibatide is rarely associated with thrombocytopenia with only a few cases reported in the medical literature. Here we report a case of a 34-year-old man presenting with a non ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) who underwent primary PCI with stenting and developed stent thrombosis 5 days after the procedure. He underwent repeat PCI with readministration of eptifibatide and subsequently developed profound thrombocytopenia within 4 h. This report adds another case of eptifibatide associated thrombocytopenia to the literature and reinforces the importance of platelet count monitoring after therapy with this agent.