“…The patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups according to consecutive sealed envelopes; the control group (n=35) underwent a conventional method of POBA, and the argatroban group (n=35) had the addition of local delivery of argatroban. The exclusion criteria were (1) more than 80 years old or less than 20 years old, (2) a target lesion in a non-protected left main coronary artery, (3) a total occlusive lesion equal to TIMI 0-1 flow, (4) a severely calcified lesion, (5) a diffuse lesion, (6) a target vessel with severe proximal tortuosity, (7) a lesion that restenosed more than once, (8) a bypass graft vessel, (9) an indication for a new device (eg, directional coronary atherectomy, stent, rotational atherectomy or laser ablation), (10) poor left ventricular function (ejection fraction <40%), (11) patients receiving warfarin, (12) patients receiving an intravenous infusion of heparin, (13) a history of gastrointestinal bleeding, thrombocytopenia, or coagulopathy, (14) a history of stroke within the preceding 3 months, (15) acute myocardial infarction within the previous month, (16) patients undergoing thrombolysis within the past 24 h, (17) pregnancy, and (18) other major illness including renal failure and liver dysfunction. Informed consent was obtained from each patient.…”