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After a comparison of outcomes of two drugs used to prevent blood clot formation during emergency heart attack, a new study has suggested that use of one of the drugs heparin, could result in improved outcomes. The use of other drug tested, bivalirudin, is more widespread in high-income countries and is around 400 times more expensive than heparin. 

The comparison in the study suggests that use of heparin rather than bivalirudin after primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) could save health services substantial sums of money further improving patient outcomes. 

Researchers performed the trials at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital in the UK. More than 1800 patients undergoing emergency angiography were considered for the trial. 

Researchers found that overall rates of major adverse cardiac events were significantly lower in the group who received heparin. 

"As far as we are aware, our study is one of the first trials to recruit 100% of eligible patients presenting with the medical condition being examined, which means that it more closely resembles real life practice than many previous trials. The results suggest that the use of heparin has some advantage over bivalirudin in avoiding major adverse events, mainly in terms of reduced recurrent, additional heart attacks in patients recovering from PPCI. This finding might provide an opportunity, rare in modern health care, to provide improved outcomes at much reduced cost," said  lead author Dr Rod Stables, of the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK in a statement. 

The study has been published in the journal The Lancet.