Twelve or 30 months of dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stents

Antiplatelet drugs: which targets for which treatments?

The current standard care for acute coronary syndromes is dual antiplatelet therapy combining the COX1 inhibitor aspirin with a drug targeting the P2Y12 receptor, together with anticoagulation during and after early revascularization by percutaneous intervention. In very high-risk patients, glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa antagonists may also be used. Secondary prevention of ischemic events requires dual antiplatelet therapy for several months followed by lifelong low-dose aspirin. The duration of treatment and the drugs to combine nevertheless remain matters of debate and the focus of ongoing research. Despite great progress, there is still room for improved efficacy and this could involve new targets for both antiplatelet drugs (like the thrombin receptor PAR1) and anticoagulants. However, improved efficacy is offset by an increased risk of bleeding. Stroke patients are still waiting for better treatment, their bleeding risk being particularly high. New targets including the collagen receptor, glycoprotein VI (GPVI), and the GPIb-von Willebrand factor axis, governing platelet interaction with the diseased vessel wall, should enable us to complete the armamentarium of antiplatelet drugs.

Perspectives on the 2014 ESC/EACTS Guidelines on Myocardial Revascularization : Fifty Years of Revascularization: Where Are We and Where Are We Heading?

The joint European Society of Cardiology and European Association of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (ESC/EACTS) guidelines on myocardial revascularization collect and summarize the evidence regarding decision-making, diagnostics, and therapeutics in various clinical scenarios of coronary artery disease, including elective, urgent, and emergency settings. The 2014 document updates and extends the effort started in 2010, year of the first edition of these guidelines. Importantly, this latest edition provides a systematic review of all randomized clinical trials performed since 1980, comparing different strategies of myocardial revascularization, including coronary artery bypass graft (CABG), balloon angioplasty, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with bare-metal stents (BMS) and first- and second-generation drug-eluting stents (DES). This review aims to highlight the most relevant novelties introduced by the 2014 edition of the ESC/EACTS myocardial revascularization guidelines as compared with the previous edition and to describe similarities and differences with the American societies' guidelines.

A Review of the Key Clinical Trials of 2014

INTRODUCTION

Over the last year, multiple, potentially practice-changing, cardiology trials or studies have been published or presented at international meetings including the American College of Cardiology, European Association for Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions, European Society of Cardiology, Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics, Heart Failure Congress, Heart Rhythm Society, Heart Failure Society of America, American Society of Hypertension and the American Heart Association.

METHODS

Clinical trial results presented at major cardiology conferences during 2014 were reviewed by the authors. Search terms included heart failure (HF), acute coronary syndrome, stable coronary disease, interventional cardiology, atrial fibrillation, electrophysiology and coronary prevention. Selection criteria were trials of broad relevance to the cardiology community, those with potential to change current practice and those with potential to guide further phase III research.

RESULTS

In this paper, the authors describe and place in clinical context, new HF, data including neprilysin inhibitors, intravenous ferric carboxymaltose, potassium-absorbing compounds, quadripolar leads for cardiac resynchronization therapy and intraventricular device intervention. New trial data are also described for acute coronary syndromes (clopidogrel, prasugrel, ticagrelor), stable coronary artery disease (ivabradine), percutaneous coronary intervention (the role of thrombectomy or treatment of non-culprit lesions during primary intervention, pressure wire studies and outcomes of new stent designs), transcatheter aortic valve intervention data, atrial fibrillation (anticoagulation and direct current cardioversion), electrophysiology (leadless pacemaker devices, use of quinidine in Brugada syndrome) and coronary prevention (landmark Ezetimibe outcome data, PCSK9 clinical trials, childhood prevalence of hypertension, renal denervation for resistant hypertension and the role of cardiac computerized tomography in cardiovascular screening).

CONCLUSION

This paper summarizes key clinical trials during 2014 and should be of practical interest to clinicians and cardiology researchers.

Long-term use of ticagrelor in patients with prior myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

The potential benefit of dual antiplatelet therapy beyond 1 year after a myocardial infarction has not been established. We investigated the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor, a P2Y12 receptor antagonist with established efficacy after an acute coronary syndrome, in this context.

METHODS

We randomly assigned, in a double-blind 1:1:1 fashion, 21,162 patients who had had a myocardial infarction 1 to 3 years earlier to ticagrelor at a dose of 90 mg twice daily, ticagrelor at a dose of 60 mg twice daily, or placebo. All the patients were to receive low-dose aspirin and were followed for a median of 33 months. The primary efficacy end point was the composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. The primary safety end point was Thrombolysis in Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) major bleeding.

RESULTS

The two ticagrelor doses each reduced, as compared with placebo, the rate of the primary efficacy end point, with Kaplan-Meier rates at 3 years of 7.85% in the group that received 90 mg of ticagrelor twice daily, 7.77% in the group that received 60 mg of ticagrelor twice daily, and 9.04% in the placebo group (hazard ratio for 90 mg of ticagrelor vs. placebo, 0.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.75 to 0.96; P=0.008; hazard ratio for 60 mg of ticagrelor vs. placebo, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.74 to 0.95; P=0.004). Rates of TIMI major bleeding were higher with ticagrelor (2.60% with 90 mg and 2.30% with 60 mg) than with placebo (1.06%) (P<0.001 for each dose vs. placebo); the rates of intracranial hemorrhage or fatal bleeding in the three groups were 0.63%, 0.71%, and 0.60%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In patients with a myocardial infarction more than 1 year previously, treatment with ticagrelor significantly reduced the risk of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke and increased the risk of major bleeding. (Funded by AstraZeneca; PEGASUS-TIMI 54 ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01225562.).

Peri-procedural use of rivaroxaban in elective percutaneous coronary intervention to treat stable coronary artery disease. The X-PLORER trial

Patients on rivaroxaban requiring percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) represent a clinical conundrum. We aimed to investigate whether rivaroxaban, with or without an additional bolus of unfractionated heparin (UFH), effectively inhibits coagulation activation during PCI. Stable patients (n=108) undergoing elective PCI and on stable dual antiplatelet therapy were randomised (2:2:2:1) to a short treatment course of rivaroxaban 10 mg (n=30), rivaroxaban 20 mg (n=32), rivaroxaban 10 mg plus UFH (n=30) or standard peri-procedural UFH (n=16). Blood samples for markers of thrombin generation and coagulation activation were drawn prior to and at 0, 0.5, 2, 6-8 and 48 hours (h) after start of PCI. In patients treated with rivaroxaban (10 or 20 mg) and patients treated with rivaroxaban plus heparin, the levels of prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 at 2 h post-PCI were 0.16 [0.1] nmol/l (median) [interquartile range, IQR] and 0.17 [0.2] nmol/l, respectively. Thrombin-antithrombin complex values at 2 h post-PCI were 3.90 [6.8]µg/l and 3.90 [10.1] µg/l, respectively, remaining below the upper reference limit (URL) after PCI and stenting. This was comparable to the control group of UFH treatment alone. However, median values for thrombin-antithrombin complex passed above the URL with increasing tendency, starting at 2 h post-PCI in the UFH-alone arm but not in rivaroxaban-treated patients. In this exploratory trial, rivaroxaban effectively suppressed coagulation activation after elective PCI and stenting.

Post-PCI Antithrombotic Therapy in Patients Requiring Long-Term Anticoagulation

The number of patients who undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and additionally require chronic anticoagulation for a variety of indications is not insignificant. The choice of antithrombotic therapy after PCI in patients with chronic indications for anticoagulation therapy remains a challenge for interventional cardiologists, as the risk of bleeding must be adequately weighed against the benefit of preventing future ischemic events. While these clinical scenarios are encountered in approximately 10 % of patients undergoing PCI, current practice guidelines do not sufficiently guide physicians as to how to best treat these PCI patients requiring chronic anticoagulation. Notwithstanding the clinical difficulties of treating such patients, there are several recent studies and analyses that have assessed optimal antithrombotic strategies in the PCI population, and there are several others that are currently underway. This review evaluates the currently available data and clinical scenarios commonly encountered by treating physicians.

Optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention with drug eluting stents: meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials

OBJECTIVE

To assess the benefits and risks of short term (<12 months) or extended (>12 months) dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) versus standard 12 month therapy, following percutaneous coronary intervention with drug eluting stents.

DESIGN

Meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Scopus, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and major congress proceedings, searched from 1 January 2002 to 16 February 2015.

REVIEW METHODS

Trials comparing short term (<12 months) or extended (>12 months) DAPT regimens with standard 12 month duration of therapy. Primary outcomes were cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, major bleeding, and all cause mortality.

RESULTS

10 randomised controlled trials (n=32,287) were included. Compared to 12 month DAPT, a short term course of therapy was associated with a significant reduction in major bleeding (odds ratio 0.58 (95% confidence interval 0.36 to 0.92); P=0.02) with no significant differences in ischaemic or thrombotic outcomes. Extended versus 12 month DAPT yielded a significant reduction in the odds of myocardial infarction (0.53 (0.42 to 0.66); P<0.001) and stent thrombosis (0.33 (0.21 to 0.51); P<0.001), but more major bleeding (1.62 (1.26 to 2.09); P<0.001). All cause but not cardiovascular death was also significantly increased (1.30 (1.02 to 1.66); P=0.03).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with a standard 12 month duration, short term DAPT (<12 months) after drug eluting stent implementation yields reduced bleeding with no apparent increase in ischaemic complications, and could be considered for most patients. In selected patients with low bleeding risk and very high ischaemic risk, extended DAPT (>12 months) could be considered. The increase in all cause but not cardiovascular death with extended DAPT requires further investigation.

Comparison of self-expanding stents with distal embolic protection to balloon-expandable stents without a protection device in the treatment of symptomatic vertebral artery origin stenosis: a prospective randomized trial

PURPOSE

To compare the angiographic and clinical outcomes of self-expanding stents (SES) with distal embolic protection devices (EPD) vs balloon-expandable stents (BES) without EPD in the treatment of symptomatic atherosclerotic vertebral artery ostial stenosis (VAOS).

METHODS

Between July 2011 and March 2013, a prospective randomized trial was conducted involving 127 patients (mean age 67.3±10.2 years; 94 men) with symptomatic VAOS randomly assigned to treatment with SES + EPD (Precise RX or RX Acculink stent + Spider FX EPD; n=61) or BES (Palmaz Blue or Resolute RX; n=66) without EPD. In-stent restenosis (ISR) >50% detected by duplex ultrasound was the primary endpoint. Technical success, clinical success, complications within 30 days, and signal intensity abnormalities on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) after stenting were compared.

RESULTS

The 30-day technical success rate was 95.5% (63/66) for SES+EPD vs 100% (70/70) for BES without EPD (p=0.072). DWI at 24 hours poststenting showed 2 hyperintense lesions in 2 (3.3%) SES + EPD cases and 15 hyperintense lesions in 13 (18.6%) BES patients (p<0.01). At a mean 18-month follow-up, the clinical success rate was 93.9% (62/66) for the SES + EPD group vs 85.7% (60/70) for the BES group (p=0.115). The ISR was seen in 16/70 (22.9%) arteries in the BES group and 2/66 (3.1%) arteries in SES + EPD group (p<0.01). Target vessel revascularization was performed in 7 (10.0%) BES arteries vs none in the SES + EPD group (p<0.01).

CONCLUSION

SES with EPD in the treatment of symptomatic VAOS is technically feasible and safe, with low rates of ISR and significantly reduced thromboembolic events on imaging when compared to BES without EPD.

Late breaking trials of 2014 in coronary artery disease: Commentary covering ACC, EuroPCR, SCAI, TCT, ESC, and AHA

With the plethora of clinical trials, it is difficult for busy interventional cardiologists to stay up to date. Therefore, the SCAI Publications Committee concisely summarizes and provides editorial commentary on the most important coronary trials from the large international meetings of 2014. The intent is to allow quick assimilation of trial results into interventional practice.

Antiplatelet therapy discontinuation and the risk of serious cardiovascular events after coronary stenting: observations from the CREDO-Kyoto Registry Cohort-2

Relation of antiplatelet therapy (APT) discontinuation with the risk of serious cardiovascular events has not been fully addressed yet. This study is aimed to evaluate the risk of ischemic event after APT discontinuation based on long-term APT status of large cohort. In the CREDO-Kyoto Registry Cohort-2 enrolling 15939 consecutive patients undergoing first coronary revascularization, 10470 patients underwent percutaneous coronary intervention either with bare-metal stents (BMS) only (N=5392) or sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) only (N=5078). Proportions of patients taking dual-APT were 67.3% versus 33.4% at 1-year, and 48.7% versus 24.3% at 5-year in the SES and BMS strata, respectively. We evaluated daily APT status (dual-, single- and no-APT) and linked the adverse events to the APT status just 1-day before the events. No-APT as compared with dual- or single-APT was associated with significantly higher risk for stent thrombosis (ST) beyond 1-month after SES implantation (cumulative incidence rates beyond 1-month: 1.23 versus 0.15/0.29, P<0.001/P<0.001), while higher risk of no-APT for ST was evident only until 6-month after BMS implantation (incidence rates between 1- and 6-month: 8.43 versus 0.71/1.20, P<0.001/P<0.001, and cumulative incidence rates beyond 6-month: 0.31 versus 0.11/0.08, P=0.16/P=0.08). No-APT as compared with dual- or single-APT was also associated with significantly higher risk for spontaneous myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke regardless of the types of stents implanted. Single-APT as compared with dual-APT was not associated with higher risk for serious adverse events, except for the marginally higher risk for ST in the SES stratum. In conclusion, discontinuation of both aspirin and thienopyridines was associated with increased risk for serious cardiovascular events including ST, spontaneous MI and stroke beyond 1-month after coronary stenting.

Dual antiplatelet therapy: optimal timing, management, and duration

Platelet activation and aggregability play a key role in the genesis of arterial thrombus secondary to plaque rupture. For coronary patients, inhibition of platelet function is crucial to decrease the rate of major adverse cardiac events but may expose them to excess bleeding risk. Switching P2Y12 inhibitors is common, yet the clinical consequences are unknown. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the evidence from randomized, clinical trials and epidemiological studies, with a focus on the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and appropriate agent and dose selection. The report discusses the latest evidence regarding switching therapies during DAPT, the potential benefits of a personalized strategy, management of the preoperative period, and other clinical perspectives in this complex and rapidly changing field. Ongoing trials will be useful to answer to some important unresolved questions.

Impact of prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy after acute myocardial infarction on 5-year mortality in the FAST-MI 2005 registry

BACKGROUND

We document dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) use from discharge to 4 years after acute myocardial infarction (AMI), and investigate whether prolonged DAPT (beyond 1 year) is related to 5-year mortality.

METHODS

The French Registry of Acute ST-elevation or non-ST-elevation Myocardial Infarction (FAST-MI 2005) included 3670 patients with AMI in 223 French centres. We identified predictors of DAPT (aspirin+clopidogrel) beyond 1 and 2 years, and relation with all-cause 5-year mortality.

RESULTS

Among 3319 (96%) patients with discharge data, 2432 (73%) had DAPT, 582 (17%) single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT), and 305 (9%) no antiplatelet treatment. DAPT decreased from 75% at 1 year to 29% at 4 years, with a corresponding increase in SAPT (p<0.05 for trend). Patients with DAPT were more often male, treated with a drug-eluting stent (DES), and without oral anticoagulants. Independent predictors at 1 year of prolonged DAPT were age<75 years, in-hospital bleeding, history of MI, use of DES, discharge use of beta-blockers or statins and no chronic anticoagulation. Predictors at 2 years were age<75 years, male gender, previous MI, diabetes, DES implantation, no chronic oral anticoagulation. By multivariate analysis, there was no difference in 5-year mortality between those on SAPT vs DAPT at 1 year. DAPT at 2 years was also not significantly related to 5-year mortality (Hazard Ratio 1.3, 95% CI [0.9; 1.8], p=0.21).

CONCLUSION

Prolonged DAPT in selected AMI patients, observed in 47% at 1 year and 21% at 2 years, had no impact on 5-year mortality. These findings do not support the use of DAPT beyond 1 year after an initial ACS.

Dual antiplatelet therapy duration after the placement of a drug-eluting stent: what are the data?

OPINION STATEMENT

The data supporting the immediate use of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) post implantation of drug-eluting stents (DESs) is irrefutable. DAPT in this early period is necessary to prevent stent thrombosis during endothelialization of the stent, a process known to be delayed when DESs are placed. In addition, DAPT helps prevent thrombosis from plaque rupture that occurs outside of the initial stented area and/or at neo-atherosclerotic lesions within a previously coated stent. The ACC/AHA current guidelines (Levine et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 58(24):e44-122, 2011) recommend 12 months of DAPT post DES implantation. As the result of several randomized clinical trials (Task Force on Myocardial Revascularization of the European Society of Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) et al. Eur Heart J. 31(20):2501-55, 2010) showing the safety of a shorter duration of DAPT, the European Heart Society altered their recommendations to 6-12 months of DAPT post DES implantation. However, recent data from the DAPT trial (Mauri et al. N Engl J Med. 371(23):2156-66, 2014) clearly demonstrated less ischemic events with 30 months of DAPT. This trial and others have established that an increased DAPT duration increases bleeding risk which, in turn, increases subsequent morbidity and mortality. The current conundrum lies in defining the optimal time of DAPT post DES to adequately reduce ischemic events while minimizing bleeding risks. Future studies are required to better stratify patients into low and high risk for both ischemic and bleeding risks to assess whether shorter or longer courses of DAPT are the most appropriate for any specific patients. Until then, instead of a "one size fits all" approach to patients who receive DESs, the treating physician must consider both procedural and patient factors when deciding the optimal duration of DAPT for each patient.

Antiplatelet therapy duration following bare metal or drug-eluting coronary stents: the dual antiplatelet therapy randomized clinical trial

IMPORTANCE

Despite antirestenotic efficacy of coronary drug-eluting stents (DES) compared with bare metal stents (BMS), the relative risk of stent thrombosis and adverse cardiovascular events is unclear. Although dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) beyond 1 year provides ischemic event protection after DES, ischemic event risk is perceived to be less after BMS, and the appropriate duration of DAPT after BMS is unknown.

OBJECTIVE

To compare (1) rates of stent thrombosis and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE; composite of death, myocardial infarction, or stroke) after 30 vs 12 months of thienopyridine in patients treated with BMS taking aspirin and (2) treatment duration effect within the combined cohorts of randomized patients treated with DES or BMS as prespecified secondary analyses.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

International, multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial comparing extended (30-months) thienopyridine vs placebo in patients taking aspirin who completed 12 months of DAPT without bleeding or ischemic events after receiving stents. The study was initiated in August 2009 with the last follow-up visit in May 2014.

INTERVENTIONS

Continued thienopyridine or placebo at months 12 through 30 after stent placement, in 11,648 randomized patients treated with aspirin, of whom 1687 received BMS and 9961 DES.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES

Stent thrombosis, MACCE, and moderate or severe bleeding.

RESULTS

Among 1687 patients treated with BMS who were randomized to continued thienopyridine vs placebo, rates of stent thrombosis were 0.5% vs 1.11% (n = 4 vs 9; hazard ratio [HR], 0.49; 95% CI, 0.15-1.64; P = .24), rates of MACCE were 4.04% vs 4.69% (n = 33 vs 38; HR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.57-1.47; P = .72), and rates of moderate/severe bleeding were 2.03% vs 0.90% (n = 16 vs 7; P = .07), respectively. Among all 11,648 randomized patients (both BMS and DES), stent thrombosis rates were 0.41% vs 1.32% (n = 23 vs 74; HR, 0.31; 95% CI, 0.19-0.50; P < .001), rates of MACCE were 4.29% vs 5.74% (n = 244 vs 323; HR, 0.73; 95% CI, 0.62-0.87; P < .001), and rates of moderate/severe bleeding were 2.45% vs 1.47% (n = 135 vs 80; P < .001).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Among patients undergoing coronary stent placement with BMS and who tolerated 12 months of thienopyridine, continuing thienopyridine for an additional 18 months compared with placebo did not result in statistically significant differences in rates of stent thrombosis, MACCE, or moderate or severe bleeding. However, the BMS subset may have been underpowered to identify such differences, and further trials are suggested.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00977938.

Percutaneous coronary intervention strategies and prognosis for graft lesions following coronary artery bypass grafting

The purpose of this study was to compare the prognosis of graft-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and native vessel (NV)-PCI, drug-eluting stents (DESs) and bare-metal stents (BMSs) for the treatment of graft lesions following coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), and to determine the risk factors for major adverse cardiac events (MACEs). A total of 289 patients who underwent PCI following CABG between August 2005 and March 2010 were retrospectively analyzed. The effects on survival were compared among patients who underwent NV- and graft-PCI, and DES and BMS implantation. Additionally, the risk factors for MACEs following PCI for graft lesions were analyzed. The findings showed that MACE-free and revascularization-free survival rates were significantly higher in the NV-PCI group compared with those in the graft-PCI group. There were 63 cases (29.0%) of MACEs in the DES group and 25 cases (52.1%) in the BMS group. In patients undergoing NV-PCI, the DES group had significantly fewer MACEs and less target vessel revascularization (TVR) than the BMS group. In patients undergoing graft-PCI, the DES group showed a tendency for fewer MACEs and a lower incidence of cardiac mortality, myocardial infarction and TVR compared with the BMS group. Diabetes, an age of >70 years and graft-PCI were independent risk factors for MACEs in patients post-PCI. It is concluded that NV-PCI has superior long-term outcomes compared with graft-PCI, and should therefore be considered as the first-line treatment for graft disease following CABG. Despite this, graft-PCI remains a viable option. DESs are the first choice for graft-PCI due to their safety and efficacy and their association with reduced mortality and MACE rate. Diabetes, older age and graft-PCI are independent risk factors for MACEs in patients post-CABG who are undergoing revascularization.

Benefits and Risks of Extended Duration Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After PCI in Patients With and Without Acute Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND

The benefits and risks of prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy may be different for patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) compared with more stable presentations.

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to assess the benefits and risks of 30 versus 12 months of dual antiplatelet therapy among patients undergoing coronary stent implantation with and without MI.

METHODS

The Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Study, a randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, compared 30 versus 12 months of dual antiplatelet therapy after coronary stenting. The effect of continued thienopyridine on ischemic and bleeding events among patients initially presenting with versus without MI was assessed. The coprimary endpoints were definite or probable stent thrombosis and major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE). The primary safety endpoint was GUSTO (Global Utilization of Streptokinase and Tissue Plasminogen Activator for Occluded Arteries) moderate or severe bleeding.

RESULTS

Of 11,648 randomized patients (9,961 treated with drug-eluting stents, 1,687 with bare-metal stents), 30.7% presented with MI. Between 12 and 30 months, continued thienopyridine reduced stent thrombosis compared with placebo in patients with and without MI at presentation (MI group, 0.5% vs. 1.9%, p < 0.001; no MI group, 0.4% vs. 1.1%, p < 0.001; interaction p = 0.69). The reduction in MACCE for continued thienopyridine was greater for patients with MI (3.9% vs. 6.8%; p < 0.001) compared with those with no MI (4.4% vs. 5.3%; p = 0.08; interaction p = 0.03). In both groups, continued thienopyridine reduced MI (2.2% vs. 5.2%, p < 0.001 for MI; 2.1% vs. 3.5%, p < 0.001 for no MI; interaction p = 0.15) but increased bleeding (1.9% vs. 0.8%, p = 0.005 for MI; 2.6% vs. 1.7%, p = 0.007 for no MI; interaction p = 0.21).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with 12 months of therapy, 30 months of dual antiplatelet therapy reduced the risk of stent thrombosis and MI in patients with and without MI, and increased bleeding. (The Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Study [The DAPT Study]; NCT00977938).