Clopidogrel non-responsiveness in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention using the VerifyNow test: frequency and predictors

Efficacy and Safety of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy with the Routine Use of Prasugrel for Flow Diversion of Cerebral Unruptured Aneurysms

PURPOSE

Prasugrel is not approved for patients treated with flow diverters, which have a high metal coverage ratio. However, robust antiplatelet therapy with prasugrel may prevent thromboembolic complications. We administered prasugrel and aspirin to all patients treated with flow diverters and reported the safety of the antiplatelet therapy regimen.

METHODS

This retrospective, single-center study evaluated the angiographic and clinical data of consecutive patients treated with flow diverters for cerebral unruptured aneurysms between June 2020 and May 2022. All patients received dual antiplatelet therapy, including prasugrel and aspirin. The administration of prasugrel ended 3 or 6 months after the procedure, whereas aspirin use continued for at least 12 months. Periprocedural complications (< 30 days post-procedure) and delayed complications (> 30 days post-procedure) were recorded.

RESULTS

During the study period, 120 unruptured aneurysms were treated with flow diverters in 110 patients. All patients, except one, survived longer than 12 months after the procedure. The rate of thromboembolic complications was 6.4%, and more than half of the patients had transient symptoms; one (0.9%) had a major ischemic stroke. One patient (0.9%) each had an asymptomatic, small subarachnoid hemorrhage and significant hemorrhagic complications with melena. The rate of permanent neurological deficits was 1.8%, and the mortality rate was 0.9%.

CONCLUSIONS

Dual antiplatelet therapy comprising routine use of prasugrel and aspirin for flow diverter-implanted patients possibly contributed to a low rate of thromboembolic complications and low risk of hemorrhagic complications.

PON1 Q192R is associated with high platelet reactivity with clopidogrel in patients undergoing elective neurointervention: A prospective single-center cohort study

Background and purpose

The impact of the paraoxonase-1 (PON1) polymorphism, Q192R, on platelet inhibition in response to clopidogrel remains controversial. We aimed to investigate the association between carrier status of PON1 Q192R and high platelet reactivity (HPR) with clopidogrel in patients undergoing elective neurointervention.

Methods

Post-clopidogrel platelet reactivity was measured using a VerifyNow^® P2Y12 assay in P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) for consecutive patients before the treatment. Genotype testing was performed for PON1 Q192R and CYP2C19*2 and *3 (no function alleles), and *17. PRU was corrected on the basis of hematocrit. We investigated associations between factors including carrying ≥1 PON1 192R allele and HPR defined as original and corrected PRU ≥208.

Results

Of 475 patients (232 men, median age, 68 years), HPR by original and corrected PRU was observed in 259 and 199 patients (54.5% and 41.9%), respectively. Carriers of ≥1 PON1 192R allele more frequently had HPR by original and corrected PRU compared with non-carriers (91.5% vs 85.2%, P = 0.031 and 92.5% vs 85.9%, P = 0.026, respectively). In multivariate analyses, carrying ≥1 PON1 192R allele was associated with HPR by original (odds ratio [OR] 1.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03–3.76) and corrected PRU (OR 2.34, 95% CI 1.21–4.74) after adjustment for age, sex, treatment with antihypertensive medications, hematocrit, platelet count, total cholesterol, and carrying ≥1 CYP2C19 no function allele.

Conclusions

Carrying ≥1 PON1 192R allele is associated with HPR by original and corrected PRU with clopidogrel in patients undergoing elective neurointervention, although alternative results related to other genetic polymorphisms cannot be excluded.

Reduction of thromboembolic complications during the endovascular treatment of unruptured aneurysms by employing a tailored dual antiplatelet regimen using aspirin and prasugrel

Background

Thromboembolic complications (TECs) are frequent during the endovascular treatment of unruptured aneurysms. To prevent TECs, dual antiplatelet therapy using aspirin and clopidogrel is recommended for the perioperative period. In patients with a poor response, clopidogrel is a risk factor for TECs. To prevent TECs, our study assessed the stratified use of prasugrel.

Methods

Patients who underwent endovascular therapy for unruptured cerebral aneurysms from April 2017 to August 2019 were enrolled in this clinical study and given premedication with aspirin and clopidogrel for 2 weeks prior to the procedure. P2Y12 reaction units (PRU) were measured using the VerifyNow assay on the day before the procedure (tailored group). In subgroups with PRU <240, the clopidogrel dose was maintained (CPG subgroup). In subgroups with PRU ≥240, clopidogrel was changed to prasugrel (PSG subgroup). We compared the occurrence of TECs with retrospective consecutive cases from January 2015 to March 2017 without PRU assessments (non-tailored group). The frequency of TECs within 30 days was assessed as the primary endpoint.

Results

The tailored and non-tailored groups comprised 167 and 50 patients, respectively. TECs occurred in 11 (6.6%) and 8 (16%) patients in the tailored and non-tailored groups (P=0.048), respectively. The HR for TECs was significantly reduced in the tailored group (HR 0.3, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.81); P=0.017) compared with the non-tailored group.

Conclusion

The results suggest that tailored dual antiplatelet therapy medication with PRU significantly reduces the frequency of TECs without increasing hemorrhagic complications.

Comparison between ticagrelor versus clopidogrel in long term outcomes of Taiwanese diabetic subjects with acute coronary syndrome undergoing successful revascularization: From TSOC ACS-DM registry

Although previous clinical trials demonstrated that ticagrelor could reduce cardiovascular events and mortality versus clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), the real-world evidence of its clinical impacts on East Asian Diabetic population has rarely been investigated.Between November 2013 and June 2015, 1534 patients were recruited into the Acute Coronary Syndrome-Diabetes Mellitus Registry of the Taiwan Society of Cardiology (TSOC ACS-DM registry). After propensity score matching, a total of 730 patients undergoing successful revascularization and discharged on ticagrelor (N = 365) or clopidogrel (N = 365) were analyzed. The primary and secondary endpoints were all-cause mortality and re-hospitalization, respectively. The all-cause death associated with ticagrelor vs clopidogrel was 3.6% vs 7.4% (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) 0.34 [0.15-0.80]; P = .0138) at 24 months. The re-hospitalization rate at 24 months was 38.9% vs 39.2% (P = .3258).For diabetic patients with ACS, ticagrelor provided better survival benefit than clopidogrel without an increase of re-hospitalization in 24 months after successful percutaneous coronary intervention. This study in real-world circumstance provided valuable complementary data to externally validate platelet inhibition and patient outcomes (PLATO) finding especially in Asian diabetic population.

Association of GCK gene DNA methylation with the risk of clopidogrel resistance in acute coronary syndrome patients

Backgrounds

Clopidogrel resistance (CR), which was manifested as the failure of platelet inhibition in clopidogrel treatment, was likely to lead to cardiovascular events. Our study was aimed to explore the contribution of DNA methylation in glucokinase (GCK) to the CR risk.

Methods

Among 36 CR and 36 non‐CR acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients, the platelet functions were evaluated by VerifyNow P2Y12 assay (turbidimetric‐based optical detection) and DNA methylation levels on two fragments of the CGI from the GCK were investigated through bisulfite pyrosequencing methods. In addition, the GCK mRNA expression was analyzed via quantitative real‐time PCR. Lastly, the logistic regression was employed to test the interaction between GCK methylation and nongenetic variables in CR patients.

Results

Subunit analysis showed that in male patients without DM but suffering from dyslipidemia, the increased methylation of cg18492943 indicated a risk of poor clopidogrel response (male, NCR vs CR(%): 84.86 ± 6.29 vs 88.16 ± 4.32, P = .032; without DM, NCR vs CR (%): 84.66 ± 6.18 vs 88.16 ± 4.17, P = .029; and dyslipidemia, NCR vs CR (%): 83.81 ± 6.96 vs 88.39 ± 4.74, P = .042).In addition, GCK mRNA expression was reduced in CR patients without DM. Moreover, regression analysis indicated that the values of platelet distribution width (PDW), total cholesterol (TC), and uric acid (UA) were correlated with the incidence of CR, and hypertension lowered the CR risk.

Conclusions

A higher methylation of cg18492943 in GCK gene would lower the expression of GCK mRNA, which might contribute to CR in patients without DM. Meanwhile, PDW and TC might be risk factors in CR.