The Lancet women and cardiovascular disease Commission: reducing the global burden by 2030

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in women. Decades of grassroots campaigns have helped to raise awareness about the impact of cardiovascular disease in women, and positive changes affecting women and their health have gained momentum. Despite these efforts, there has been stagnation in the overall reduction of cardiovascular disease burden for women in the past decade. Cardiovascular disease in women remains understudied, under-recognised, underdiagnosed, and undertreated. This Commission summarises existing evidence and identifies knowledge gaps in research, prevention, treatment, and access to care for women. Recommendations from an international team of experts and leaders in the field have been generated with a clear focus to reduce the global burden of cardiovascular disease in women by 2030. This Commission represents the first effort of its kind to connect stakeholders, to ignite global awareness of sex-related and gender-related disparities in cardiovascular disease, and to provide a springboard for future research.

Sex Differences Among Patients With High Risk Receiving Ticagrelor With or Without Aspirin After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Subgroup Analysis of the TWILIGHT Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Shortened dual antiplatelet therapy followed by potent P2Y12 receptor inhibitor monotherapy reduces bleeding without increasing ischemic events after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Objective

To explore sex differences and evaluate the association of sex with outcomes among patients treated with ticagrelor monotherapy vs ticagrelor plus aspirin.

Design, Setting, and Participants

This was a prespecified secondary analysis of TWILIGHT, an investigator-initiated, placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial conducted at 187 sites across 11 countries. Study participants included patients who underwent successful PCI with drug-eluting stents, were planned for discharge with ticagrelor plus aspirin, and who had at least 1 clinical and at least 1 angiographic feature associated with high risk of ischemic or bleeding events. Data were analyzed from May to July 2020.

Interventions

At 3 months after PCI, patients adherent to ticagrelor and aspirin without major adverse event were randomized to either aspirin or placebo for an additional 12 months along with ticagrelor.

Main Outcomes and Measures

The primary end point was Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 2, 3, or 5 bleeding at 12 months after randomization. The primary ischemic end point was a composite of death, myocardial infarction, or stroke.

Results

Of 9006 enrolled patients, 7119 underwent randomization (mean [SD] age, 63.9 [10.2] years; 5421 [76.1%] men). Women were older (mean [SD] age, 65.5 [9.6] years in women vs 63.4 [10.3] years in men) with higher prevalence of chronic kidney disease (347 women [21.2%] vs 764 men [14.7%]). The primary bleeding end point occurred more often in women than men (hazard ratio [HR], 1.32; 95% CI, 1.06-1.64; P = .01). After multivariate adjustment, incremental bleeding risk associated with female sex was no longer significant (adjusted HR, 1.20; 95% CI, 0.95-1.52; P = .12). Ischemic end points were similar between sexes. Ticagrelor plus placebo vs ticagrelor plus aspirin was associated with lower risk of BARC type 2, 3, or 5 bleeding in women (adjusted HR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.42-0.92; P = .02) and men (adjusted HR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.44-0.73; P < .001; P for interaction = .69). Ischemic end points were similar between treatment groups in both sexes.

Conclusions and Relevance

These findings suggest that the higher bleeding risk in women compared with men was mostly attributable to baseline differences, whereas ischemic events were similar between sexes. In this high-risk PCI population, the benefits of early aspirin withdrawal with continuation of ticagrelor were generally comparable in women and men.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02270242.

Incidence, predictors, and outcomes associated with acute kidney injury in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement: from the BRAVO-3 randomized trial

BACKGROUND

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is not uncommon in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

OBJECTIVE

We examined the incidence, predictors, and outcomes of AKI from the BRAVO 3 randomized trial.

METHODS

The BRAVO-3 trial included 802 patients undergoing transfemoral TAVR randomized to bivalirudin vs. unfractionated heparin (UFH). The primary endpoint of the trial was Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type ≥ 3b bleeding at 48 h. Total follow-up was to 30 days. AKI was adjudicated using the modified RIFLE (Valve Academic Research Consortium, VARC 1) criteria through 30-day follow-up, and in a sensitivity analysis AKI was assessed at 7 days (modified VARC-2 criteria). We examined the incidence, predictors, and 30-day outcomes associated with diagnosis of AKI. We also examined the effect of procedural anticoagulant (bivalirudin or unfractionated heparin, UFH) on AKI within 48 h after TAVR.

RESULTS

The trial population had a mean age of 82.3 ± 6.5 years including 48.8% women with mean EuroScore I 17.05 ± 10.3%. AKI occurred in 17.0% during 30-day follow-up and was associated with greater adjusted risk of 30-day death (13.0% vs. 3.5%, OR 5.84, 95% CI 2.62-12.99) and a trend for more BARC ≥ 3b bleeding (15.1% vs. 8.6%, OR 1.80, 95% CI 0.99-3.25). Predictors of 30-day AKI were baseline hemoglobin, body weight, and pre-existing coronary disease. AKI occurred in 10.7% at 7 days and was associated with significantly greater risk of 30-day death (OR 6.99, 95% CI 2.85-17.15). Independent predictors of AKI within 7 days included pre-existing coronary or cerebrovascular disease, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and transfusion which increased risk, whereas post-dilation was protective. The incidence of 48-h AKI was higher with bivalirudin compared to UFH in the intention to treat cohort (10.9% vs. 6.5%, p = 0.03), but not in the per-protocol assessment (10.7% vs. 7.1%, p = 0.08).

CONCLUSION

In the BRAVO 3 trial, AKI occurred in 17% at 30 days and in 10.7% at 7 days. AKI was associated with a significantly greater adjusted risk for 30-day death. Multivariate predictors of AKI at 30 days included baseline hemoglobin, body weight, and prior coronary artery disease, and predictors at 7 days included pre-existing vascular disease, CKD, transfusion, and valve post-dilation. Bivalirudin was associated with greater AKI within 48 h in the intention to treat but not in the per-protocol analysis.

Considerations for Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease During the COVID-19 Pandemic

New York City was one of the epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic. The management of peripheral artery disease (PAD) during this time has been a major challenge for health care systems and medical personnel. This document is based on the experiences of experts from various medical fields involved in the treatment of patients with PAD practicing in hospitals across New York City during the outbreak. The recommendations are based on certain aspects including the COVID-19 infection status as well as the clinical PAD presentation of the patient. Our case-based algorithm aims at guiding the treatment of patients with PAD during the pandemic in a safe and efficient way.

Relationship between insulin resistance, coronary plaque, and clinical outcomes in patients with acute coronary syndromes: an analysis from the PROSPECT study

Background

We investigated the association of insulin resistance (IR) with coronary plaque morphology and the risk of cardiovascular events in patients enrolled in the Providing Regional Observations to Study Predictors of Events in Coronary Tree (PROSPECT) study.

Methods

Patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) were divided based on DM status. Non-DM patients were further stratified according to homeostasis-model-assessment IR (HOMA-IR) index as insulin sensitive (IS; HOMA-IR ≤ 2), likely-IR (LIR; 2 < HOMA-IR < 5), or diabetic-IR (DIR; HOMA-IR ≥ 5). Coronary plaque characteristics were investigated by intravascular ultrasound. The primary endpoint was major adverse cardiac events (MACE); a composite of cardiac death, cardiac arrest, myocardial infarction, and rehospitalization for unstable/progressive angina.

Results

Among non-diabetic patients, 109 patients (21.5%) were categorized as LIR, and 65 patients (12.8%) as DIR. Patients with DIR or DM had significantly higher rates of echolucent plaque compared with LIR and IS. In addition, DIR and DM were independently associated with increased risk of MACE compared with IS (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 2.29, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.22–4.29, p = 0.01 and aHR 2.12, 95% CI 1.19–3.75, p = 0.009, respectively).

Conclusions

IR is common among patients with ACS. DM and advanced but not early stages of IR are independently associated with increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events.

Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00180466.

Association of Culprit Lesion Location With Outcomes of Culprit-Lesion-Only vs Immediate Multivessel Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Cardiogenic Shock: A Post Hoc Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance

Myocardial infarction with a culprit lesion located in the left main or proximal left anterior descending artery compared with other coronary segments is associated with more myocardium at risk and worse clinical outcomes.

Objective

To evaluate the association of culprit lesion location with outcomes of culprit-lesion-only percutaneous coronary intervention with optional staged revascularization vs immediate multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention in patients with multivessel disease, myocardial infarction, and cardiogenic shock.

Design, Setting, and Participants

Post hoc analysis of the Culprit Lesion Only Coronary Intervention vs Multivessel Coronary Intervention in Cardiogenic Shock (CULPRIT-SHOCK), an investigator-initiated randomized, open-label clinical trial. Patients with multivessel disease, acute myocardial infarction, and cardiogenic shock were enrolled at 83 European centers from April 2013 through April 2017.

Interventions

Patients were randomized to culprit-lesion-only percutaneous coronary intervention with optional staged revascularization or immediate multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention (1:1). For this analysis, patients were stratified by culprit lesion location in the left main or proximal left anterior descending artery group and other-culprit-lesion location group.

Main Outcomes and Measures

End points included a composite of death or kidney replacement therapy at 30 days and death at 1 year.

Results

The median age of the study population was 70 (interquartile range, 60-78 years) and 524 of the study participants were men (76.4%). Of the 685 patients, 33.4% constituted the left main or proximal left anterior descending artery group and 66.6% the other-culprit-lesion location group. The left main or proximal left anterior descending artery group had worse outcomes compared with the other-culprit-lesion location group (56.8% vs 47.5%; P = .02 for the composite end point at 30 days and 59.8% vs 50.1%; P = .02 for death at 1 year). In both groups, culprit-lesion-only vs immediate multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention was associated with a reduced risk of the composite end point at 30 days (49.1% vs 64.3% and 44.1% vs 50.9%; P for interaction = .27). At 1 year, culprit-lesion-only vs immediate multivessel percutaneous coronary intervention was associated with a significantly reduced risk of death in the left main or proximal left anterior descending artery but not the other-culprit-lesion location group (50.0% vs 69.6%; P = .003 and 49.8% vs 50.4%; P = .89; P for interaction = 0.02).

Conclusions and Relevance

In patients with multivessel disease with myocardial infarction and cardiogenic shock, a culprit lesion located in the left main or proximal left anterior descending artery vs other coronary segments was associated with worse outcomes. These patients may especially benefit from culprit-lesion-only percutaneous coronary intervention with optional staged revascularization, although further investigation is needed to confirm this finding.

Trial Registration

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01927549.

Ticagrelor With or Without Aspirin After PCI: The TWILIGHT Platelet Substudy

BACKGROUND

An evolving strategy in the setting of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) involves withdrawal of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), or aspirin, while maintaining P2Y₁₂ inhibition. However, the pharmacodynamic effects of this approach on blood thrombogenicity and platelet reactivity remain unknown.

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to compare the antithrombotic potency of ticagrelor alone versus ticagrelor plus ASA among high-risk patients undergoing PCI with drug-eluting stents.

METHODS

This was a mechanistic substudy within the TWILIGHT (Ticagrelor With Aspirin or Alone in High-Risk Patients After Coronary Intervention) trial, which randomized patients undergoing PCI to ticagrelor plus placebo versus ticagrelor plus ASA following 3 months of dual antiplatelet therapy. Substudy participants were enrolled after randomization, at which time ex vivo assays to quantify thrombus size under dynamic flow conditions and platelet reactivity were performed. Pharmacodynamic assessments were repeated 1 to 6 months thereafter. The primary endpoint was thrombus size at the post-randomization visit with platelet reactivity following stimuli to arachidonic acid, collagen, adenosine diphosphate, and thrombin as secondary endpoints. Results were analyzed using analysis of covariance.

RESULTS

A total of 51 patients were enrolled, among whom 42 underwent perfusion assays at baseline and follow-up with a median time between studies of 1.5 months. The adjusted mean difference in post-randomization thrombus area was similar between groups: -218.2 μm² (95% confidence interval [CI]: -575.9 to 139.9 μm²; p = 0.22). Markers sensitive to cyclo-oxygenase-1 blockade, including platelet reactivity in response to arachidonic acid (mean difference: 10.9 U; 95% CI: 1.9 to 19.9 U) and collagen (mean difference: 9.8 U; 95% CI: 0.8 to 18.8 U) stimuli were higher among patients receiving placebo, whereas levels of platelet reactivity were similar with adenosine diphosphate and thrombin.

CONCLUSIONS

Among high-risk patients receiving drug-eluting stents, the antithrombotic potency of ticagrelor monotherapy is similar to that of ticagrelor plus ASA with respect to ex vivo blood thrombogenicity, whereas markers sensitive to cyclo-oxygenase-1 blockade are increased in the absence of ASA. (Platelet Substudy of the TWILIGHT Trial; NCT04001374).

Prognostic significance of exercise-induced diastolic dysfunction: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Recent guidelines recommend diastolic stress testing among patients with unexplained dyspnea. Previous studies have reported exercise related change in diastolic parameters as a prognostic marker for worse outcomes. However, the role of exercise-induced diastolic dysfunction (DD) in predicting adverse outcomes has not been fully established.

METHOD

We conducted a meta-analysis to explore the prognostic significance of exercise-induced DD. PUBMED/EMBASE/SCOPUS databases were searched for studies reporting adverse outcomes in patients undergoing exercise echocardiography based on diastolic response during exercise. Exercise-induced DD was defined as an increase in E/e' or E/A ratio with stress. Outcomes of interest were cardiovascular mortality or hospitalizations.

RESULTS

A total of 8 studies were identified, including 4,462 patients who underwent exercise stress echocardiography. The follow-up ranged from 13 months to 5 years. The major indication for stress testing was exertional dyspnea. All studies reported cardiac mortality and hospitalization in the composite outcome. Meta-analysis conducted using random-effects model showed that exercise-induced DD was associated with a higher likelihood of cardiovascular mortality or hospitalization (HR = 1.32, P < .05). Significant heterogeneity was noted among the studies.

CONCLUSIONS

Exercise-induced DD is associated with worse cardiovascular outcomes. Changes in echocardiographic parameters such as e' with exercise might be useful for risk stratification and identification of high-risk patients.

Reducing the cost of managing patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention with stenting

Patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) have an increased risk of both ischemic events and bleeding complications resulting from antithrombotic therapy. These events are particularly common in patients with a concomitant indication for oral anticoagulation, such as those with atrial fibrillation, and are associated with a substantial healthcare resource burden. Advances in procedural aspects of PCI have led to marked improvements in outcomes and a consequent reduction in the costs resulting from PCI-associated complications. Furthermore, recent randomized clinical trials have investigated the optimal antithrombotic strategy in the specific case of patients with atrial fibrillation undergoing PCI, leading to a shift toward the tailoring of antithrombotic therapy according to the patient's individual stroke and bleeding risks. Here we review these recent advances, with a particular focus on the improvements in antithrombotic strategies offered by the non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants.

1-year results after PCI with the COMBO stent in all-comers in Asia versus Europe: Geographical insights from the COMBO collaboration

BACKGROUND

The COMBO drug-eluting stent combines sirolimus-elution from a biodegradable polymer with an anti-CD34+ antibody coating for early endothelialization.

OBJECTIVE

We investigated for geographical differences in outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with the COMBO stent among Asians and Europeans.

METHODS

The COMBO Collaboration is a pooled patient-level analysis of the MASCOT and REMEDEE registries of all-comers undergoing attempted COMBO stent PCI. The primary outcome was 1-year target lesion failure (TLF), composite of cardiac death, target vessel myocardial infarction (TV-MI) and target lesion revascularization (TLR).

RESULTS

This study included 604 Asians (17.9%) and 2775 Europeans (82.1%). Asians were younger and included fewer females, with a higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus but lower prevalence of other comorbidities than Europeans. Asians had a higher prevalence of ACC/AHA C type lesions and received longer stent lengths. More Asians than Europeans were discharged on clopidogrel (86.5% vs 62.8%) rather than potent P2Y₁₂ inhibitors. One-year TLF occurred in 4.0% Asians and 4.1% of Europeans, p = 0.93. The incidence of cardiac death was higher in Asians (2.8% vs. 1.3%, p = 0.007) with similar rates of TV-MI (1.5% vs. 1.2%, p = 0.54) and definite stent thrombosis (0.3% vs. 0.5%, p = 0.84) and lower incidence of TLR than Europeans (1.0% vs. 2.5%, p = 0.025). After adjustment, differences for cardiac death and TLR were no longer significant.

CONCLUSIONS

In the COMBO collaboration, although 1-year TLF was similar regardless of geography, Asians experienced higher rates of cardiac death and lower TLR than Europeans, while incidence of TV-MI and ST was similar in both regions. Adjusted differences did not reach statistical significance. CLINICALTRIAL.

GOV IDENTIFIER-NUMBERS

NCT01874002 (REMEDEE Registry), NCT02183454 (MASCOT registry).

Indirect comparison of the efficacy and safety of alirocumab and evolocumab: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

AIMS

Although alirocumab and evolocumab have both been associated with improved outcomes in patients with dyslipidaemia or established atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, data on their respective performances are scarce. This study aimed at providing an indirect comparison of the efficacy and safety of alirocumab vs. evolocumab.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized trials comparing alirocumab or evolocumab to placebo with consistent background lipid-lowering therapy up to November 2018. We estimated the relative risk (RR) and the 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using fixed-effect model in a frequentist pairwise and network meta-analytic approach. A total of 30 trials, enrolling 59 026 patients were included. Eligibility criteria varied significantly across trials evaluating alirocumab and evolocumab. Compared with evolocumab, alirocumab was associated with a significant reduction in all-cause death (RR 0.80, 95% CI 0.66-0.97) but not in cardiovascular death (RR 0.83, 95% CI 0.65-1.05). This study did not find any significant differences in myocardial infarction (RR 1.15, 95% CI 0.99-1.34), stroke (RR 0.96, 95% CI 0.71-1.28), or coronary revascularization (RR 1.13, 95% CI 0.99-1.29) between the two agents. Alirocumab was associated with a 27% increased risk of injection site reaction compared to evolocumab; however, no significant differences were found in terms of treatment discontinuations, systemic allergic reaction, neurocognitive events, ophthalmologic events, or new-onset of or worsening of pre-existing diabetes.

CONCLUSION

Alirocumab and evolocumab share a similar safety profile except for injection site reaction. No significant differences were observed across the efficacy endpoints, except for all-cause death, which may be related to the heterogeneity of the studied populations treated with the two drugs.

Bleeding Risk, Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Cessation, and Adverse Events After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Background:

Whether the underlying risk of bleeding influences the associations between patterns of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) cessation and adverse events after percutaneous coronary intervention is unknown.

Methods:

Patients enrolled in the prospective, international, multicenter PARIS registry (Patterns of Non-Adherence to Anti-Platelet Regimens in Stented Patients) were categorized according to their risk of bleeding using the PARIS bleeding risk score. We evaluated the incidence, patterns, and association between modes of DAPT cessation and outcomes across bleeding risk groups. Modes of DAPT cessations were defined as physician-guided DAPT discontinuation, brief interruption (<14 days) or disruption for bleeding, or noncompliance. The primary end point of interest was major adverse cardiac events, defined as the composite of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or definite-probable stent thrombosis.

Results:

From a total of 5018 patients, 513 (10.2%) were classified as high, 2058 (41.0%) as intermediate, and 2447 (48.8%) as low risk for bleeding. High bleeding risk (HBR) patients were older and had greater prevalence of comorbidities. Compared with non-HBR, HBR patients had higher rates of both ischemic and bleeding events. The cumulative incidence of DAPT cessation was higher in HBR patients, mostly driven by physician-guided discontinuation and disruption. Of note, DAPT disruption occurred in 17.7%, 10.4%, and 7.8% at 1 year and 22.0%, 15.1%, and 12.0% at 2 years ( P <0.0001) in high, intermediate, and low bleeding risk groups, respectively. Physician-guided DAPT discontinuation was not associated with increased risk of major adverse cardiac events in both HBR and non-HBR patients, while DAPT disruption was associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiac events across all bleeding risk groups. There was no interaction between bleeding risk status and clinical outcomes for any cessation mode.

Conclusions:

Patients at HBR remain at higher risk of adverse events. Disruption of DAPT is associated with an increased risk of major adverse cardiac events irrespective of the underlying bleeding risk. Physician-guided discontinuation of DAPT appears to be safe, irrespective of HBR.

Residual Inflammatory Risk in Patients With Low LDL Cholesterol Levels Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

BACKGROUND

Data on the impact of residual inflammatory risk (RIR) in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with baseline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) ≤70 mg/dl are scarce.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this study was to characterize the prevalence and impact of persistent high RIR after PCI in patients with baseline LDL-C ≤70 mg/dl.

METHODS

All patients undergoing PCI between January 2009 and December 2016 in a single tertiary center, with baseline LDL-C ≤70 mg/dl and serial high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) assessments (at least 2 measurements ≥4 weeks apart) were retrospectively analyzed. High RIR was defined as hsCRP >2 mg/l. Patients were categorized as persistent low RIR (first low then low hsCRP), attenuated RIR (first high then low hsCRP), increased RIR (first low then high hsCRP), or persistent high RIR (first high then high hsCRP). Primary endpoint of interest was major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular accident (MACCE) (death, myocardial infarction, or stroke), within 1 year of the second hsCRP measurement.

RESULTS

A total of 3,013 patients were included, with persistent low, attenuated, increased, and persistent high RIR in 1,225 (41.7%), 414 (13.7%), 346 (11.5%), and 1,028 (34.1%) patients, respectively. Overall, there was a stepwise increase in the incidence rates of MACCE, transitioning from the persistent low to the attenuated, increased, and persistent high RIR (respectively, 64.4 vs. 96.6 vs. 138.0 vs. 152.4 per 1,000 patient-years; p < 0.001). After adjustment, the presence of persistent high RIR remained strongly associated with MACCE (adjusted hazard ratio: 2.10; 95% confidence interval: 1.45 to 3.02; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Among patients undergoing PCI with baseline LDL-C ≤70 mg/dl, persistent high RIR is frequent and is associated with increased risk of MACCE. Targeting residual inflammation in patients with optimal LDL-C control may further improve outcomes after PCI.

3293Atherothrombotic risk and outcomes following guided de-escalation of antiplatelet treatment in patients with acute coronary syndrome:a post-hoc analysis of the TROPICAL-ACS trial

Background

A de-escalation of P2Y12-inhibitor treatment guided by platelet function testing (PFT) has been identified as a safe and alternative treatment strategy in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, no specific data are available on the efficacy of such strategy in patients with high atherothrombotic risk (ATR).

Purpose

To investigate the safety and efficacy of guided de-escalation of P2Y12-inhibitor treatment in patients with low- vs. high-ATR.

Methods

The TROPICAL-ACS trial randomized 2,610 biomarker-positive ACS patients 1:1 to either conventional treatment with prasugrel for 12 months (control group) or to a PFT guided de-escalation treatment strategy (guided de-escalation group). The primary endpoint was defined as the composite of cardiovascular mortality (CVM), myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, and clinically overt bleeding (bleeding ≥ grade 2 according to the BARC criteria). The ischemic endpoint was defined as the composite of CVM, MI or stroke. We used semi-parametric Cox regression analysis and interaction testing to assess the effect of low- vs. high-ATR on the primary and ischemic endpoints. High-ATR was defined as one of the following: (i) age ≥65 years or (ii) age <65 and either history of peripheral artery disease or at least two of the following risk-factors: diabetes mellitus, current smoking or renal dysfunction.

Results

Patients with high- (n=990) versus low-ATR (n=1,620) exhibited a higher risk for the primary endpoint (11.0% vs. 6.7%; HR 1.67; 95% CI 1.28–2.18; p<0.001). Guided de-escalation was non-inferior to conventional treatment for the primary endpoint in both patients with high- (10.5% vs. 11.5%; pnon-inferiority = 0.029; Figure 1A) and low-ATR (5.6% vs. 7.7%; pnon-inferiority=0.001; Figure 1B). Moreover, there was no significant interaction in the prognostic value of guided de-escalation between high- and low-ATR groups for both the primary (HR 0.90 [0.61–1.32]; p=0.586 in patients with high-ART vs. 0.71 [0.48–1.04; p=0.082 in patients with low-ATR; pinteraction= 0.394) and combined ischemic endpoints (HR 0.83 [0.44–1.56]; p=0.567 in patients with high-ATR vs. 0.68 [0.35–1.34]; p=0.262 in patients with low-ATR; pinteraction =0.666).

Kaplan-Meier curves

Conclusion

A guided DAPT de-escalation strategy appears to be safe and effective in ACS patients regardless of the atherothrombotic risk. Further studies are needed for refining antiplatelet treatment strategies in ACS patients with varying levels of atherothrombotic risk.

Acknowledgement/Funding

Klinikum der Universität München, Roche Diagnostics, Eli Lilly, and Daiichi Sankyo.

P5367Indirect comparison of the safety and efficacy of alirocumab and evolocumab: from a comprehensive meta-analysis of 30 randomized controlled trials

Background

Alirocumab and evolocumab, two proprotein convertase subtilisin–kexin type 9 inhibitors, have both been associated with improved outcomes in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in addition to standard lipid-lowering therapies. However, their comparative safety and efficacy profiles are unknown.

Purpose

To compare the safety and efficacy of alirocumab versus evolocumab.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review and network meta-analysis of placebo-controlled randomized trials available up to November 2018 evaluating the safety and efficacy of alirocumab and evolocumab. We estimated risk ratio and 95% confidence intervals using fixed effect model in a frequentist pairwise and network metanalytic approach. The primary safety endpoints were any adverse events leading to treatment-discontinuation, injection site reaction, systemic allergic reaction, neurocognitive events, ophthalmologic events and new-onset of diabetes mellitus (DM) or worsening of pre-existing DM. The primary efficacy endpoints were all-cause and cardiovascular (CV) death, myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke. This study was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42018090768).

Results

A total of 30 trials, enrolling 59,026 patients were included in this analysis, of whom 13,607 received alirocumab and 17,931 received evolocumab. Mean weighted follow-up time was 2.5 years, with an exposure time of 144,907 patients-years. Eligibility criteria varied significantly across trials evaluating alirocumab and evolocumab. There were no significant differences between alirocumab and evolocumab in terms of safety endpoints, except for injection site reaction with a 27% increased risk of injection site reaction with alirocumab compared to evolocumab (Figure). Compared with evolocumab, alirocumab was associated with a reduction of all-cause death but not CV death. There were no significant differences in MI or stroke between alirocumab and evolocumab.

Conclusion

Alirocumab and evolocumab share a similar safety profile. No significant differences were observed across the efficacy endpoints, except for all-cause death, which may be related to heterogeneity of the studied populations between the two drugs.