Background: Left ventricular thrombus (LVT), a common complication of acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), is associated with increased risk of systemic embolism and high mortality. Current STEMI guidelines recommend adding anticoagulant therapy to dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) if early-formulated LVT were detected, for which vitamin K antagonist (VKA) is the standard anticoagulant agent. The role of non-VKA oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in this scenario is uncertain.
Methods: The EARLY-MYO-LVT study will be a prospective, multi-center and randomized trial designed to investigate the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban versus warfarin in the treatment of post-STEMI LVT. It will enroll 280 patients with STEMI who have developed LVT within the first month of symptom onset. They will be randomized at 1:1 ratio into the group of rivaroxaban 15 mg daily or VKA treatment (with targeted INR 2-2.5) on the basis of standard DAPT (100 mg daily aspirin plus 75 mg daily clopidogrel) for 3-6 months. The primary efficacy endpoint will be the probability of LVT resolution after 3-month triple therapy, and the principal safety outcome will be the incidence of major bleeding events during the treatment.
Discussion: The described study will systemically assess the efficacy and safety of NOACs-based anticoagulant therapy in the treatment of LVT subsequent to STEMI.
Trial registration: The EARLY-MYO-LVT trial (Clinical trial number: NCT03764241).
Keywords: Bleeding; embolism and thrombosis; myocardial infarction; rivaroxaban.
2020 Annals of Translational Medicine. All rights reserved.