World heart federation expert consensus statement on antiplatelet therapy in east asian patients with ACS or undergoing PCI

Reduced-dose of bivalirudin (without the post-procedure infusion) in patients with acute coronary syndrome undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention

INTRODUCTION

In clinical practice, the dose of bivalirudin may not be fully applicable to the Chinese population. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the efficacy and safety of a reduced dose (80% of the recommended dose) of bivalirudin without post-procedure infusion for 3-4 h in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

METHODS

This was a single-center, retrospective study. Patients who met the inclusion criteria and no exclusion criteria were divided into reduced-dose and recommended-dose groups for analysis. Confounders were corrected using propensity score matching. The incidence of net adverse clinical events (NACE), major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 2-5 bleeding events were observed 30 days postoperatively.

RESULTS

In total, 1,590 patients (795 per group) were obtained after propensity score matching. The results after propensity score matching were as follows: The activated clotting time (ACT) after 5 min in the reduced-dose group was 349.37 ± 47.59 s, which was statistically lower than that in the recommended-dose group, 353.12 ± 44.98 s (P = 0.024). There was no significant difference in the proportion of ACT values of ≥ 250 s after 5 min between the two groups (P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in NACE, MACE, and BARC type 2-5 bleeding events between the two groups (5.0% vs. 4.5%, P = 0.638; 0.0% vs. 0.1%, P = 1.000; 0.3% vs. 0.5%, P = 0.687). There were no statistically significant differences in cumulative NACE and cumulative bleeding events between the two groups at 30 days (P = 0.635 and P = 0.716, respectively).

CONCLUSION

In patients with UA and NSTEMI undergoing elective PCI, 80% of the recommended dose of bivalirudin without post-procedure infusion can be used for anticoagulation without increasing the risk of thrombosis and bleeding.

Impact of proton pump inhibitor use on clinical outcomes in East Asian patients receiving clopidogrel following drug-eluting stent implantation

BACKGROUND

Concomitant use of clopidogrel and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) is common, but PPI may reduce the antiplatelet effects of clopidogrel in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). We evaluated the impact of PPI use on clinical outcomes in post-PCI patients, by incorporating P2Y12 reaction unit (PRU) and CYP2C19 genotyping results.

METHODS

From a multicenter registry of patients who underwent PCI with drug-eluting stent implantation and received clopidogrel-based dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), patients who were prescribed a PPI at the time of PCI (PPI users) were compared to those who were not (non-users). The primary outcome included all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, or cerebrovascular accident at 12 months. Major bleeding (Bleeding Academic Research Consortium [BARC] types 3-5) and gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding (BARC types 3-5) were important secondary outcomes. The adjusted outcomes were compared using a 1:1 propensity-score (PS) matching and competing risk analysis.

RESULTS

Of 13,160 patients, 2,235 (17.0%) were prescribed PPI, with an average age of 65.4 years. PPI users had higher on-treatment PRU levels than non-users. After PS matching, the primary outcome occurred in 51 patients who were PPI users (cumulative incidence, 4.7%) and 41 patients who were non-users (cumulative incidence, 3.7%; log-rank p = 0.27). In carriers of both CYP2C19 loss-of-function alleles, PPI use was linked to an increased risk of the primary outcome (hazard ratio, 3.22; 95% confidence interval, 1.18-8.78). The incidence of major bleeding and GI bleeding (BARC types 3-5) was comparable between PPI users and non-users in the PS-matched cohort.

CONCLUSIONS

In post-PCI patients receiving clopidogrel-based DAPT, PPI use was not linked to an increased risk of adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events, but there was a small but significant increase in on-treatment PRU. Future research using a more individualized approach would further elucidate these interactions and guide evidence-based clinical practices.

Model-Informed Dosing Regimen of Ticagrelor in Chinese Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome

The exposure to ticagrelor (BRILINTA) is higher in the East Asian population compared with the White population, thus, East Asians have an increased risk of bleeding. We developed a population pharmacokinetic (PopPK) model of ticagrelor based on a randomized 3 × 3 crossover study in healthy subjects. The area under the concentration-time curve (AUC) of Chinese patients with acute coronary syndrome was simulated based on this model. Following this, eight machine learning (ML) methods were used to construct bleeding risk models. Variables included in the final bleeding risk model were age, hypertension, body weight, AUC, drinking status, calcium channel blockers, antidiabetic medications, β-blockers, peripheral vascular disease, diabetes, transient ischemic attack, sex, and proton pump inhibitor. In terms of F1 scores and area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC), the Random Forest model performed best among all models, with an F1 score of 0.73 and ROC-AUC of 0.81. Moreover, the PopPK model and ML algorithm were used to bridge the real-world data to build a bleeding risk prediction model based on drug exposure and clinical information. Using this model, a ticagrelor regimen that is associated with a lower risk of bleeding in individuals can be obtained. This model should be further validated prospectively in clinical settings.

Comparison of Clinical Outcomes Between Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel in Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Comprehensive Meta-Analysis

Background

Ticagrelor is currently recommended for patients with the acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, recent studies have yielded controversial results.

Objective

To compare the clinical outcomes between ticagrelor and clopidogrel in patients with ACS.

Methods

Three electronic databases were queried until April 25, 2021. We defined major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) as the primary efficacy endpoint. The secondary efficacy endpoints included stroke, stent thrombosis, cardiovascular death, all-cause death, and myocardial infarction. The safety endpoints were (major and minor) bleeding. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs were calculated to represent the estimated effect sizes.

Results

A total of 270,937 patients with ACS from 10 clinical trials and 18 observational studies were included. No significant difference was detected in MACE (OR 0.81, 95% CI 0.60–1.08, p = 0.15, I2 = 64.83%). However, ticagrelor introduced a higher risk of bleeding (1.46, 1.17–1.83, 0.00, 61.66%) and minor bleeding (1.71, 1.33–2.21, 0.00, 4.65%) in clinical trials. The results of secondary efficacy endpoints differed in the clinical trials and observational studies. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that ticagrelor showed better therapeutic effects in patients who underwent the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (0.38, 0.23–0.63, 0.00, 0) than those intended for PCI (1.03, 0.76–1.38, 0.87, 64.26%). Meanwhile, ticagrelor showed different therapeutic effects on patients with ACS of different ethnicities and different countries.

Conclusion

This meta-analysis demonstrated that ticagrelor is not superior to clopidogrel in MACE but is associated with a higher risk of bleeding in patients with ACS. Different PCI strategies, ethnicities, and countries may be the factors that contribute to different therapeutic effects of ticagrelor.

Systematic Review Registration

This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021251212).

Clinical Outcome between Ticagrelor versus Clopidogrel in Patients with Acute Coronary Syndrome and Diabetes

BACKGROUND

The increased thrombotic risk in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and diabetes highlights the need for adequate antithrombotic protection. We aimed to compare the 6-month clinical outcomes between ticagrelor and clopidogrel in patients with ACS and diabetes.

METHODS AND RESULTS

The study was a single-center, prospective, randomized, open-label, blinded endpoint, and controlled registry trial. A total of 270 ACS patients with diabetes were randomly assigned in a 1 : 1 ratio to either the ticagrelor group or the clopidogrel group. Follow-up was performed for 6 months, and the data on efficacy outcomes and bleeding events were collected. At 6 months, complete follow-up data were available for 266 (98.5%) of 270 patients, and 4 were lost to follow-up. There was no significant difference in the survival rate of the effective endpoints between the ticagrelor group (n = 133) and the clopidogrel group (n = 133) (HR 0.83, 95% CI 0.44-1.56, p = 0.561), but the incidence of bleeding events in the ticagrelor group was higher than that in the clopidogrel group (HR 1.76, 95% CI 1.00-3.10, p = 0.049).

CONCLUSION

Ticagrelor did not improve the composite of nonfatal MI, target vessel revascularization, rehospitalization, stroke, and death from any cause; however, it significantly increased the incidence of bleeding events defined by the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) criteria in Chinese patients with ACS and diabetes during the 6-month follow-up compared with clopidogrel.

Sex-related difference in bleeding and thromboembolic risks in patients with atrial fibrillation treated with direct oral anticoagulants

BACKGROUND

Sex-related difference in non-valvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) is still to be investigated. We aimed to investigate sex difference in patient characteristics and clinical outcomes of the NVAF patients treated with DOAC in the real-world Japanese clinical practice.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We conducted a single-center prospective observational registry of NVAF patients treated with DOACs: the DIRECT registry (women, N = 806; men, N = 1410; follow-up duration, 407 ± 388 days). In the present study, all patients were stratified by sex. Women had significantly higher age, lower body weight, lower hemoglobin, lower creatinine clearance, and a higher bleeding risk estimate (ORBIT score) and higher thromboembolic risk estimates (CHADS₂ score and CHA₂DS₂VAS score) than men. Albeit the different bleeding risk estimates by the ORBIT score between both sexes, the Kaplan-Meier estimates of bleeding events were similar between both sexes (Log-rank test P = 0.152 for clinically significant bleeding, and P = 0.122 for major bleeding). The Kaplan-Meier estimated 2 year rate of stroke/systemic embolism was higher in women than in men (4.9 ± 1.3% vs. 2.3 ± 0.6%, Log-rank test P = 0.048).

CONCLUSIONS

Our real-world study of patients treated with DOAC showed that Japanese women experienced comparable bleeding events as compared to men despite the higher bleeding risk estimates. The higher thromboembolic risk estimates in women than in men translated into the higher thromboembolic event rates.Clinical trials identifier: UMIN000033283.

Prevalence of the Japanese high bleeding risk criteria and its prognostic significance for fatal bleeding in patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND

The Japanese high-bleeding-risk criteria (Japanese-HBR), modified criteria of the Academic Research Consortium (ARC) HBR, has been recently proposed. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of the ARC-HBR and the Japanese-HBR, and to assess their prognostic significance in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

METHODS AND RESULTS

We applied the ARC-HBR and the Japanese-HBR criteria to the OACIS prospective multicenter acute myocardial infarction registry (12,093 patients, 66 ± 12 years, 9,096 males). The primary endpoint was fatal bleeding (BARC-5). Median follow-up duration was 4.84 [inter-quartile range 1.35, 5.01] years. Prevalence of the ARC-HBR was 43.8%, while that of the Japanese-HBR was 61.8%. Cumulative incidence of fatal bleeding was higher in the ARC-HBR group than in the no ARC-HBR group at 1 year (1.3 vs. 0.6%) and at 5 years (2.0 vs. 0.7%). The Kaplan-Meier curves stratified by the Japanese-HBR criteria more prominently diverged (1.3 vs. 0.2% at 1 year; and 1.9 vs. 0.3% at 5 years). The Japanese-HBR criteria showed superior discriminative performance over the ARC-HBR criteria (C-statistics: 0.677 vs. 0.598, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

In the real-world Japanese AMI registry, nearly half of the patients fulfilled the criteria of ARC-HBR, and two-thirds met the Japanese-HBR. Our findings support the validity of both ARC- and Japanese-HBR criteria in AMI patients but encourage the future application of the Japanese-HBR criteria to the Japanese AMI cohort.

TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER

UMIN000004575.

Bleeding events and mid-term mortality in the patients undergoing endovascular interventions for peripheral artery disease of the lower limbs based on the academic research consortium high bleeding risk criteria

This study applied the Academic Research Consortium for HBR (ARC-HBR) criteria to peripheral artery disease (PAD) patients after Endovascular therapy (EVT) and assessed the prevalence of HBR, as well as the association between HBR and clinical outcomes. This is a single-center, non-randomized, controlled, and retrospective study. EVTs for symptomatic PAD are minimally invasive and efficient. Although bleeding can be a serious adverse event, the criteria for HBR and assessment of bleeding events in patients who underwent EVT have been limited. A total of 156 patients with PAD who underwent EVT were divided into two groups according to ARC-HBR criteria. The associations between HBR and bleeding events, which was defined as Bleeding Academic Research Consortium Type 3 or Type 5 bleeding within 1 year and all-cause mortality within 1 year, were analyzed. The percentage of patients who were categorized as having HBR was 75.0%. Bleeding events occurred in 12.6% of the patients. All bleeding events occurred in the HBR group, while no bleeding events occurred in the no-HBR group. (16.9% vs. 0.0%, respectively; p = 0.008). During the follow-up period, 11.1% of the patients had died. All-cause mortality was significantly higher in the HBR group than in the no-HBR group (14.7% vs. 0.0%, respectively; p = 0.019). Most patients with PAD were classified as having HBR as assessed by ARC-HBR criteria, and patients with HBR were at a higher risk of not only bleeding events but also mid-term mortality compared to those without HBR. ARC-HBR criteria can be a helpful parameter when treating PAD patients after EVT.

Impact of Implementing CYP2C19 Genotype-Guided Antiplatelet Therapy on P2Y12 Inhibitor Selection and Clinical Outcomes in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Real-World Study in China

Background: CYP2C19 loss-of-function (LOF) alleles reduce the effectiveness of clopidogrel in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for acute coronary syndrome. However, the clinical impact of implementing CYP2C19 gene-guided pharmacotherapy is unclear, especially among the Chinese population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate P2Y12 receptor inhibitor selection and clinical outcomes upon implementation of CYP2C19 genotype-guided pharmacotherapy in current clinical practice.

Methods: This was a single-center observational cohort study. Adult percutaneous coronary intervention patients who received CYP2C19 genetic testing (*2, *3, *17 alleles) were included. Ticagrelor was recommended for patients with a LOF allele. Factors related to P2Y12 inhibitor selection were determined by logistic regression. The primary endpoint was major cardiac or cerebrovascular adverse events (MACCE) within 12 months. MACCE and clinically significant bleeding events (BARC ≥2) in the LOF-clopidogrel group, non-LOF-clopidogrel group, and non-LOF-ticagrelor group were compared with those in the LOF-ticagrelor group. The inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was adjusted in a Cox regression analysis to eliminate confounding factors.

Results: Among 1,361 patients, 826 (60.7%) had a LOF allele. Patients with a LOF allele were more likely to be prescribed ticagrelor (multivariate-adjusted OR 1.349; 95% CI 1.040 to 1.751; p = 0.024). The MACCE rate was higher in the LOF-clopidogrel group than in the LOF-ticagrelor group (7.8 vs. 4.0%; log-rank p = 0.029; IPTW-adjusted HR 2.138; 95% CI 1.300–3.515). Compared with the LOF-ticagrelor group, the non-LOF-clopidogrel group showed no significant difference in MACCE rate (5.8 vs. 4.0%; log-rank p = 0.272; IPTW-adjusted HR 1.531; 95% CI 0.864–2.714). Among the patients treated with ticagrelor, there was no significant difference in the MACCE rate between the LOF group and non-LOF group (4.3 vs. 4.0%; log-rank p = 0.846; IPTW-adjusted HR 1.184; 95% CI 0.582–2.410). There was no significant difference in the incidence of clinically significant bleeding events among the four groups.

Conclusion: This study confirms that efficiently returned CYP2C19 genotype results did partially guide cardiologists to prescribe ticagrelor for patients with a LOF allele, and that clopidogrel had a higher risk of MACCE than ticagrelor in these patients, which provides support for the implementation of CYP2C19 gene-guided antiplatelet therapy in clinical practice.

Real-World Bleeding and Ischemic Events in Asian Patients on P2Y12-Inhibitors After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A National Claims Data Analysis

Introduction

The safety and effectiveness of potent P2Y12 inhibitors in East Asians have been questioned because of the higher bleeding tendency and lower thrombotic risk in this population. We comparatively evaluated the safety, effectiveness and treatment persistence of the dual antiplatelet therapies (DAPT) with clopidogrel (CDAPT), ticagrelor (TDAPT) and prasugrel (PDAPT) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in the Korean population.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted using Korean National Health Insurance claims data. In 57,197 patients treated with DAPT after PCI, the risk of bleeding events, risk of major adverse cardiac and cerebral events (MACCE: a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction [MI], stroke and revascularization), risk of net adverse clinical events (NACE) and persistence and adherence rates were assessed with stabilized inverse probability of treatment weighting.

Results

TDAPT was associated with higher risks of bleeding (1 year: hazard ratio [HR], 1.37; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28–1.46; prolonged: HR 1.39, 95% CI 1.31–1.47), MACCE (1 year: HR 1.10, 95% CI 1.03–1.18; prolonged: HR 1.24, 95% CI 1.16–1.31) and NACE (1 year: HR 1.23, 95% CI 1.18–1.29; prolonged: HR 1.31, 95% CI 1.25–1.36) than CDAPT both at 1 year and in the prolonged periods, whereas there were no significant differences between PDAPT and CDAPT. Similar results were also observed in a subgroup analysis of patients with baseline MI. CDAPT was associated with higher persistence and adherence rates than TDAPT and PDAPT.

Conclusions

CDAPT was associated with clinical outcomes that were more favorable than those in TDAPT and comparable to those in PDAPT and drug persistence and adherence that were higher than in TDAPT or PDAPT. Clopidogrel may remain a viable first option for post-PCI DAPT in East Asian patients with a low thrombotic risk and a high bleeding tendency.

Electronic Supplementary Material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s12325-020-01526-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Chemoprevention in familial adenomatous polyposis: past, present and future

Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) is a hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome characterized by colorectal adenomas and a near 100% lifetime risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). Prophylactic colectomy, usually by age 40, is the gold-standard therapy to mitigate this risk. However, colectomy is associated with morbidity and fails to prevent extra-colonic disease manifestations, including gastric polyposis, duodenal polyposis and cancer, thyroid cancer, and desmoid disease. Substantial research has investigated chemoprevention medications in an aim to prevent disease progression, postponing the need for colectomy and temporizing the development of extracolonic disease. An ideal chemoprevention agent should have a biologically plausible mechanism of action, be safe and easily tolerated over a prolonged treatment period, and produce a durable and clinically meaningful effect. To date, no chemoprevention agent tested has fulfilled these criteria. New agents targeting novel pathways in FAP are needed. Substantial preclinical literature exists linking the molecular target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway to FAP. A single case report of rapamycin, an mTOR inhibitor, used as chemoprevention in FAP patients exists, but no formal clinical studies have been conducted. Here, we review the prior literature on chemoprevention in FAP, discuss the rationale for rapamycin in FAP, and outline a proposed clinical trial testing rapamycin as a chemoprevention agent in patients with FAP.

Impact of bleeding during dual antiplatelet therapy in patients with coronary artery disease

This nationwide retrospective cohort study used the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan to compare the impact of bleeding on clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) versus chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). Between July 2007 and December 2010, patients with AMI (n = 15,391) and CCS (n = 19,724) who received dual antiplatelet therapy after coronary stenting were identified from the database. AMI was associated with increased risks of MI (AMI vs. CCS: 0.38 vs. 0.16 per 100 patient-months; p < 0.01), all-cause death (0.49 vs. 0.32 per 100 patient-months; p < 0.01), and BARC type 3 bleeding (0.22 vs. 0.13 per 100 patient-months; p < 0.01) at 1 year compared with CCS, while the risk of BARC type 2 bleeding was marginally higher in the CCS patients than in the AMI patients (1.32 vs. 1.4 per 100 person-months; p = 0.06). Bleeding was an independent predictor of MI, stroke, and all-cause death in this East Asian population, regardless of the initial presentation. Among the patients with bleeding, AMI was associated with a higher risk of ischemic events at 1 year after bleeding compared with CCS (MI: 0.34 vs. 0.25 per 100 patient-months; p = 0.06; ischemic stroke: 0.22 vs. 0.13 per 100 patient-months; p = 0.02). The 1-year mortality after bleeding was comparable between the two groups after propensity score weighting. In conclusion, bleeding conferred an increased risk of adverse outcomes in East Asian patients with AMI and CCS.

Dual Antiplatelet Therapy in Coronary Artery Disease

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is principally driven by platelet aggregation. Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) has demonstrated a reduction in recurrent ischemic events. The newer antiplatelets ticagrelor and prasugrel have demonstrated superiority over clopidogrel. While prasugrel demonstrated benefit in patients scheduled for percutaneous intervention (PCI), benefits of ticagrelor were seen irrespective of the treatment strategy. Current guidelines recommend the use of DAPT for 1 year in all patients with ACS. Ticagrelor 60 mg is recommended for up to 3 years in high-risk patients. DAPT and Predicting Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Stent Implantation and Subsequent Dual Antiplatelet Therapy (PRECISE DAPT) scores are tools to support decision-making in deciding duration of dual antiplatelet therapy.

Efficacy and Safety of Ticagrelor vs. Clopidogrel in East Asian Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction: A Nationwide Cohort Study

Ticagrelor improves clinical outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of ticagrelor vs. clopidogrel in East Asian patients with AMI. Between July 2013 and December 2015, patients with AMI prescribed dual antiplatelet therapy were identified from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan. Using propensity score weighting, ticagrelor was compared with clopidogrel for the primary efficacy end point (a composite of all-cause death, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke) and bleeding. A total of 32,442 patients with AMI (ticagrelor: 10,057; clopidogrel: 22,385) were eligible for analysis. After propensity score weighting, ticagrelor was comparable to clopidogrel in the incidence rate of the primary efficacy end point (23.6 vs. 22.76/100 patient-years; hazard ratio (HR) 0.97; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.89-1.06; P = 0.513). Ticagrelor was associated with a lower risk of stroke (1.78 vs. 2.66/100 patient-years; HR 0.64; 95% CI 0.49-0.85; P = 0.002) and higher risks of overall (21.59 vs. 18.35/100 patient-years; HR 1.16; 95% CI 1.06-1.27; P = 0.002) and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) type 2 bleeding (18.67 vs. 15.08/100 patient-years; HR 1.22; 95% CI 1.11-1.36; P < 0.001). The risks of death, MI, and BARC 3 or 5 bleeding were comparable between ticagrelor and clopidogrel. In the present study, ticagrelor was comparable to clopidogrel in the composite of death, MI, and stroke, but had an increased risk of BARC type 2 bleeding. Ticagrelor may be beneficial in preventing post-MI stroke in East Asian patients.

The clinical value of the PRECISE-DAPT score in predicting long-term prognosis in patients with acute myocardial infarction

Background

The predicting bleeding complications in patients undergoing stent implantation and subsequent dual antiplatelet therapy (PRECISE-DAPT) score predicts the risk of bleeding in patients treated with dual antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention. Although the PRECISE-DAPT score is expected to be useful beyond its original field, long-term prognostic value of this score in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains unclear. In the current study, we aimed to investigate the performance of the PRECISE-DAPT score in predicting the long-term prognosis in patients with AMI.

Methods and results

Consecutive 552 patients with AMI, who had been discharged from our institution, were enrolled. We divided the patients into three groups, based on their PRECISE-DAPT scores: the low (PRECISE-DAPT < 17), intermediate (17–24) and high (≥25) score groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis (mean follow-up 1424 days) revealed that all-cause mortality increased most steeply in the high score group followed by the intermediate and low score groups (P < 0.001). After adjusting for possible confounding factors, mortality of the intermediate or high score groups were higher than those of low score group (HR 2.945, 95% CI 1.182–7.237, P = 0.020, and HR 5.567, 95% CI 2.644–11.721, P < 0.001, respectively).

Conclusions

In patients with AMI, a high PRECISE-DAPT score was associated with higher long-term all-cause mortality. PRECISE-DAPT score is useful for predicting all-cause mortality, as well as risk stratification of bleeding.

Prognostic value of the GRACE discharge score for predicting the mortality of patients with stable coronary artery disease who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention

OBJECTIVES

To assess the predictive value of the Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events (GRACE) discharge score for patients with stable coronary artery disease (SCAD) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

BACKGROUND

The GRACE score is widely used for predicting the mortality of acute coronary syndrome patients. However, the predictive value of SCAD has not been sufficiently studied.

METHODS

We studied 4,293 consecutive patients with SCAD who underwent PCI between January 2013 and December 2013. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality and the secondary endpoint was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCE).

RESULTS

Among 3,915 patients with SCAD following PCI, there were 38 deaths and 394 MACCE during 2 years of follow-up. The GRACE discharge score was significantly higher for patients who died than for those who survived (86.97 ± 23.27 vs. 71.07 ± 19.84; p < .001). Risk stratification of the GRACE score indicated that the mortality risk of the intermediate-risk and high-risk groups were 3.23-fold (hazard ratio [HR], 3.23; range, 1.59-6.55; p = .001) and 15.31-fold higher (HR, 15.31; range, 4.43-51.62; p < .001), respectively, than that of the low-risk group. The MACCE risk for the intermediate-risk and high-risk groups were 1.28-fold (HR, 1.28; range, 1.02-1.62; p = .037) and 2.42-fold higher (HR, 2.42; range, 1.20-4.88; p = .014), respectively. The GRACE discharge score had prognostic value for mortality (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.692; p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

The GRACE discharge score is valuable for the risk stratification of death and MACCE, as well as for the prognosis to mortality for SCAD patients who have undergone PCI.

Clinical outcomes after ticagrelor and clopidogrel in Chinese post-stented patients

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

International guidelines recommend ticagrelor over clopidogrel as preferred antiplatelet agent in patients following coronary stenting. However, no large real-life evidence is available in East Asians in general, and Chinese in particular, with regard to associated clinical outcomes. The present study aimed to assess the early and delayed outcomes after ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in post stenting Chinese patients.

METHODS

We conducted the pre-specified interim analysis of Comparison Of Efficacy and Safety Between TIcagrelor and Clopidogrel In Chinese (COSTIC), the ongoing prospective, observational, single-center trial. Primary outcomes include first occurrence of myocardial infarction, stroke, vascular death and Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) scale bleeding event. Propensity score matching (PSM) was carried out to adjust for differences in baseline characteristics between treatment arms.

RESULTS

In total, 4,465 patients were enrolled. After PSM, the patients prescribed with ticagrelor had a lower incidence of primary efficacy endpoint relative to those with clopidogrel (0.6% vs. 1.4%, HR = 0.44, 95%CI: 0.22-0.89, p = 0.019) at 1 month, but similar at 7 days, 6 months and 12 months. Further analysis indicated that the difference only exists in the subgroup of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. With regard to safety, ticagrelor consistently increased the risk of BARC type 2 bleeding compared to clopidogrel at 1 month, 6 months and 12 months.

CONCLUSIONS

These preliminary data indicate that ticagrelor is superior to clopidogrel with regard to major vascular thrombotic outcomes at 1 month, especially in the AMI population, but both groups are similar at 7 days, 6 months and 12 months. Ticagrelor consistently caused significantly more BARC type 2 bleeding.

Contemporary invasive management and in-hospital outcomes of patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in China: Findings from China Acute Myocardial Infarction (CAMI) Registry

BACKGROUND

Few studies have investigated the use of invasive strategy for patients with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in China. We aimed to describe the contemporary pattern of management, medically and invasively, in patients with NSTEMI across China.

METHODS

Using data of China Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry, we analyzed the baseline characteristics, in-hospital medication, index coronary angiography (CAG) and revascularization by stratification of gender, age, and risk assessment. Primary outcomes included in-hospital major adverse cardio-cerebral events (MACCE, a composite of all-cause death, myocardial (re)infarction, and stroke) and length of stay (LOS).

RESULTS

A total of 10,266 NSTEMI patients were enrolled between January 2013 and November 2016. Dual antiplatelet therapy and statins were prescribed in 92.9% and 92.1% of overall patients respectively. CAG was performed in 45.6% of these patients, and 40.9% had an index revascularization. Female, older or higher risk patients were less likely to receive CAG or revascularization. The rates of CAG were 67.9% in the provincial-level, 46.2% in the prefectural, and 12.1% in the county-level hospitals. Of those patients undergoing revascularization, 77.0% (1,156/1,501) very-high-risk patients received urgent revascularization and 16.2% (440/2,699) high-risk patients underwent early revascularization as recommended. The overall in-hospital MACCE was 6.7%, and the median LOS was 10 (6) days. Revascularization was associated with reduction for in-hospital MACCE regardless of risk and age.

CONCLUSION

Invasive management was underused and profoundly deferred among patients with NSTEMI in China. The risk-treatment paradox, procedure deferral and medical resources distribution imbalance may represent opportunities for improvement.

Comparison of 1-year clinical outcomes between prasugrel and ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in type 2 diabetes patients with acute myocardial infarction underwent successful percutaneous coronary intervention

Although the new oral P2Y12 inhibitors, prasugrel/ticagrelor have shown greater efficacy than clopidogrel in patients with the acute coronary syndrome, but they have not shown better efficacy in Korean patients. So we evaluated the efficacy of the prasugrel/ticagrelor in patients with myocardial infarction (MI) and diabetes, a more high-risk patients group.From the Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institute of Health, 3985 patients with MI and diabetes who underwent PCI were enrolled between November 2011 and December 2015. The patients were divided into 2 groups: clopidogrel (n = 2985) and prasugrel/ticagrelor (n = 1000).After propensity score matching, prasugrel/ticagrelor group showed a no significant difference in risk of the composite of cardiac death (CD), recurrent MI or stroke (hazard ratio [HR], 0.705; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.474-1.048; P = .084). However, the risk of major bleeding was significantly higher in the prasugrel/ticagrelor group. (HR; 2.114, 95% CI; [1.027-4.353], P = .042). In subgroup analysis, major bleeding was significantly increased in the subgroup of creatinine clearance <60 ml/min/1.73 m, hypertension, underwent a trans-femoral approach and diagnosed as NSTEMI among the prasugrel/ticagrelor group.The use of prasugrel/ticagrelor did not improve the composite of CD, recurrent MI or stroke, however, significantly increased major bleeding events in Korean patients with MI and diabetes undergoing PCI.

Prevalence of clOpidogrel 'resIstaNce' in a selected population of patients undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention at a tertiary cardiovascular centre in Trinidad: the POINT pilot study

Objectives

This novel, pilot study aimed to assess the estimated prevalence of high on-treatment platelet reactivity (HPR) in Trinidad and Tobago.

Methods

Patients (n=40) who were awaiting elective percutaneous coronary intervention on maintenance dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin 81 mg daily and clopidogrel 75 mg or loaded at least 48 hours prior were recruited. Platelet reactivity with the VerifyNow P2Y12 assay (Accriva Diagnostics, San Diego, California, USA) was assessed prior to cardiac catheterisation.

Results

60.7% (17/28) of the South Asian (Indo-Trinidadians) patients had HPR, whereas 14.3% (1/7) of Africans and 40% (2/5) of mixed ethnicity had HPR. There was a significant association between HPR (P2Y12 reaction units >208) and ethnicity with South Asians (Indo-Trinidadians) (OR 5.4; 95% CI 1.18 to 24.66, p=0.029).

Conclusions

This pilot study serves to introduce the preliminary observation that the estimated prevalence of HPR is considerably higher within the heterogeneous population in Trinidad at 50% as compared with predominantly Caucasian studies. Furthermore, the HPR is significantly higher in South Asians (Indo-Trinidadians) (>60% of patients) which has severe clinical repercussions considering the cardiovascular disease pandemic. Clopidogrel may not be a satisfactory or optimal antiplatelet agent in this subgroup, and therefore, another more potent antiplatelet such as ticagrelor should be used instead. Further large-scale studies are imperative to confirm these findings. (Funded by the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine; POINT ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03667066.).

Ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in East-Asian patients with acute coronary syndromes: a meta-analysis of randomized trials

Aim: To determine whether ticagrelor or clopidogrel provides the best outcomes for East-Asian patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Materials & methods: Identification and interrogation of electronic databases through 26 July 2016 revealed fully randomized and controlled trials wherein primary efficacy end points were major adverse cardiovascular events and all-cause death among East-Asian patients with ACS. Major bleeding and noncoronary artery bypass grafts major bleeding were primary safety end points. Results: Two studies met the inclusion criteria. Compared with clopidogrel, ticagrelor has no statistical difference in the end points of major adverse cardiovascular events (risk ratio [RR]: 1.08; 95% CI: 0.62–1.91; p = 0.7260), myocardial infarction (RR: 1.200; 95% CI: 0.64–2.24; p = 0.5669), stroke (RR: 1.11; 95% CI: 0.46–2.66; p = 0.8165), cardiovascular death (RR: 0.89; 95% CI: 0.48–1.65; p = 0.7150), or all-cause mortality (RR: 0.92; 95% CI: 0.43–1.96; p = 0.8252). When compared with clopidogrel, it was found that ticagrelor provoked marked increases in major bleeding (RR: 1.48; p = 0.0430) and noncoronary artery bypass grafts-associated major bleeding (RR: 1.62; p = 0.0454). Conclusion: Ticagrelor and clopidogrel displayed similar efficacies in ACS presenting patients from East Asia. Administration of ticagrelor also displays some side effects including an increased risk of major bleeding.

Predictive Validity of CRUSADE, ACTION and ACUITY-HORIZONS Bleeding Risk Scores in Chinese Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction

BACKGROUND

The CRUSADE, ACTION and ACUITY-HORIZONS bleeding scores have been derived using Caucasian patients, and little is known about which has the better predictive ability in Chinese patients, especially for patients with STEMI.

METHODS AND RESULTS

We retrospectively analyzed 2,208 consecutive STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI (PPCI). Major bleeding events were defined according to Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria (type 3 or 5). Predictive ability of the 3 scores was assessed using logistic regression and AUC. Unadjusted HR for 1-year death were determined on Cox proportional hazard modeling. The major bleeding rate was 2.4%. The AUC of the CRUSADE, ACTION and ACUTIY-HORIZONS models was 0.88 (95% CI: 0.84-0.92), 0.90 (95% CI: 0.87-0.94), and 0.78 (95% CI: 0.87-0.94). The calibration of the ACUTIY-HORIZONS model was not acceptable overall, or in the subgroup of access site (P<0.05). In the high-risk category, 1-year mortality was approximately 4-7-fold greater than in the low-risk category (CRUSADE: HR, 7.27; 95% CI: 3.30-16.02, P<0.001; ACTION: HR, 7.13; 95% CI: 2.19-15.41, P<0.001; ACUITY-HORIZONS: HR, 4.06; 95% CI: 1.62-10.16; P=0.003).

CONCLUSIONS

The CRUSADE and ACTION scores have greater predictive ability for in-hospital major bleeding than the ACUITY-HORIZONS risk score in Chinese STEMI patients undergoing PPCI. Mortality would increase with the transition from low- to high-risk category in 1 year.

Effects of genetic variants on platelet reactivity and one-year clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention: A prospective multicentre registry study

Clopidogrel is the mainstay for antiplatelet treatment after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The relationship of platelet reactivity and genetic polymorphism with clinical outcomes with newer-generation drug-eluting stents is unclear. We analysed 4,587 patients for the most powerful single-nucleotide polymorphisms (CYP2C19, CYP2C9, ABCB1, PON1, and P2Y12) related to on-treatment platelet reactivity (OPR). The optimal cut-off value of high OPR for major adverse thrombotic events was 266. CYP2C19 was significantly associated with high OPR and the number of CYP2C19*R (*2 or *3) alleles was proportional to the increased risk of high OPR. Death, myocardial infarction (MI), stroke, stent thrombosis, and bleeding events were assessed during a 1-year follow-up period. Primary endpoints were death and non-fatal MI. The cumulative 1-year incidence of death and stent thrombosis was significantly higher in patients with CYP2C19*2/*2, CYP2C19*2/*3, and CYP2C19*3/*3 (Group 3) than in patients with CYP2C19*1/*1 (Group 1). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard model showed that cardiac death risk was significantly higher in Group 3 than in Group 1 (hazard ratio 2.69, 95% confidence interval 1.154–6.263, p = 0.022). No association was reported between bleeding and OPR. Thus, CYP2C19 may exert a significant impact on the prognosis of PCI patients even in the era of newer-generation drug-eluting stents.

Effects of Dual-Dose Clopidogrel, Clopidogrel Combined with Tongxinluo Capsule, and Ticagrelor on Patients with Coronary Heart Disease and CYP2C19*2 Gene Mutation After Percutaneous Coronary Interventions (PCI)

Background

In recent years, genetic factors have attracted research interest as important predisposing factors for cardiovascular susceptibility. This study aimed to investigate the influences of dual-dose clopidogrel, clopidogrel combined with tongxinluo, and ticagrelor on the platelet activity and MACE events of patients with CYP2C19*2 gene function deficiency and poor clopidogrel response after PCI.

Material/Methods

We selected 458 patients with coronary heart disease undergoing PCI, and the genotype of CYP2C19*2 was detected by TaqMan real-time PCR. We finally enrolled 212 patients and divided them into 4 groups: a standard anti-platelet group of 46 patients, a clopidogrel double-dose group of 50 cases, a clopidogrel combined with tongxinluo group of 59 cases, and a ticagrelor group of 57. The platelet inhibition rate was detected by TEG. We analyzed and compared differences in platelet activity and the occurrence of MACE events in these 4 groups at different follow-up times.

Results

The results showed that inhibition of platelet aggregation was better in the double-dose clopidogrel group, the clopidogrel combined with tongxinluo group, and the ticagrelor group than in the regular-dose clopidogrel group, and ticagrelor was the best. We also found that the total incidence of MACE was much lower in the double-dose clopidogrel group, the clopidogrel combined with tongxinluo group, and the ticagrelor group, while the incidence of hemorrhage in the ticagrelor group was higher.

Conclusions

Adjusting the dose or combining with other drugs improves the efficacy of anti-platelet therapy and reduces the incidence of ischemic events after PCI.