Benefits of short-term or prolonged as compared to standard 1 year DAPT in patients with acute coronary syndrome treated with drug-eluting stents: a meta-analysis of 9 randomized trials

Short-term dual antiplatelet therapy in diabetic patients admitted for acute coronary syndrome treated with a new-generation drug-eluting stent

BACKGROUND

The optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) admitted with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and treated with a drug-eluting stent (DES) remains unclear. This is a prespecified sub-study from the Randomised Evaluation of short-term DUal antiplatelet therapy in patients with acute Coronary syndromE treated with a new generation DES (REDUCE) trial that was designed to determine the efficacy and safety of short-term versus standard 12 months DAPT in diabetic patients with ACS undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using the COMBO stent.

METHODS

In this study we included ACS diabetic patients enroled in the REDUCE trial treated with the COMBO stent and randomly assigned to either 3 or 12 months of DAPT. The primary study endpoint was the composite of all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction (MI), stent thrombosis (ST), stroke, target vessel revascularisation (TVR), and bleeding complications at 12 and 24 months follow-up.

RESULTS

A total of 307 diabetic patients were included, of which 162 (52.8%) in the 3 months DAPT group and 145 (47.2%) in the 12 months DAPT group. Patient characteristics, PCI success, and number of stents used were similar in the 3 and 12 months DAPT groups. Occurrence of the primary study endpoint at 12 and 24 months follow-up was comparable between the two groups (3.1 vs. 3.5%, p = 0.865, and 15.8 vs. 14.9%, p = 0.824, respectively). Moreover, the prevalence of the specific clinical outcome parameters (all-cause mortality), MI, ST, stroke, TVR, and bleeding was similar in both study groups.

CONCLUSIONS

This sub-analysis shows similar clinical outcomes following 3 months DAPT as compared to 12 months DAPT in diabetic patients undergoing PCI for ACS using the COMBO stent. These results suggest that, even in this particular subset of patients, short duration of DAPT might be considered safe. Future larger studies are warranted to provide more precise estimations in terms of safety and efficacy of short term DAPT in these high-risk patients.

Efficacy and Safety Outcomes of Short Duration Antiplatelet Therapy with Early Cessation of Aspirin Post Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

The optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy is a matter of ongoing research. Clinical studies are assessing the optimal duration with the most favourable risk to benefit ratio. The efficacy of P2Y12 receptor inhibitors comparable to aspirin in preventing recurrent ischaemic events in patients with coronary artery diseases.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the outcomes of short-duration dual antiplatelet therapy after PCI with early discontinuation of aspirin while maintaining patients on P2Y12 inhibitor through systematic review and meta-analysis of available literature.

METHODS

We systematically searched PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), and ClinicalTrials.gov. We included randomized controlled studies that measured clinical outcomes of efficacy (mortality and ischaemic events) and safety (bleeding) of short and standard-duration dual antiplatelet therapy. The protocol of this study was registered in the international prospective register of systematic reviews PROSPERO registry (CRD42020171468).

RESULTS

Four randomized controlled trials were included; GLOBAL LEADERS, SMARTCHOICE, STOPDAPT-2, and TWILIGHT. The total number of patients was 29,089. The safety outcomes showed a significant reduction in major bleeding events with short-duration dual antiplatelet therapy; the risk ratio was 0.61 (95% CI 0.38-0.99; z=2,00, p=0.05). There was no difference between short and standard-duration dual antiplatelet therapy regarding efficacy outcomes (all- cause death, major adverse cardiovascular events, myocardial infarction, stroke, and stent thrombosis).

CONCLUSION

Short-duration dual antiplatelet therapy followed by P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy after PCI is a feasible option and can be adopted, especially in patients with a high risk of bleeding.

Lifelong Aspirin for All in the Secondary Prevention of Chronic Coronary Syndrome: Still Sacrosanct or Is Reappraisal Warranted?

Four decades have passed since the first trial suggesting the efficacy of aspirin in the secondary prevention of myocardial infarction. Further trials, collectively summarized by the Antithrombotic Trialists' Collaboration, solidified the historical role of aspirin in secondary prevention. Although the benefit of aspirin in the immediate phase after a myocardial infarction remains incontrovertible, a number of emerging lines of evidence, discussed in this narrative review, raise some uncertainty as to the primacy of aspirin for the lifelong management of all patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). For example, data challenging the previously unquestioned role of aspirin in CCS have come from recent trials where aspirin was discontinued in specific clinical scenarios, including early discontinuation of the aspirin component of dual antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention and the withholding of aspirin among patients with both CCS and atrial fibrillation who require anticoagulation. Recent primary prevention trials have also failed to consistently demonstrate net benefit for aspirin in patients treated to optimal contemporary cardiovascular risk factor targets, indicating that the efficacy of aspirin for secondary prevention of CCS may similarly have changed with the addition of more modern secondary prevention therapies. The totality of recent evidence supports further study of the universal need for lifelong aspirin in secondary prevention for all adults with CCS, particularly in stable older patients who are at highest risk for aspirin-induced bleeding.

Drug-coated Balloons or Drug-eluting Stents – Determining an Optimum Strategy for Patients with High Bleeding Risk

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