Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Drug-Eluting Stenting: When to Stop?

Combined data from two randomized trials suggest no additional benefit after 1 year.

To determine the optimal duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and clopidogrel after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation, investigators in Korea combined data from two randomized trials that had similar designs and slower-than-anticipated enrollment. A total of 2701 patients who experienced no major adverse cardiovascular or bleeding events while taking DAPT for at least 12 months after receiving one or more DES (57% sirolimus-eluting) were assigned to either continue DAPT or receive low-dose aspirin alone. Eighty-eight percent were enrolled between 12 and 18 months after stent implantation.

At 2-year follow-up (median, 19 months), the estimated rate of the primary composite endpoint — myocardial infarction (MI) and car…

Reviewing Author

Howard C. Herrmann, MD

Disclosures

Consultant/Advisory BoardAffluent Medical; Artedrone; Caranx; Johnson & Johnson; Medtronic; Prolifagen; Wells Fargo

EquityMicrointerventional Devices, Inc.

RoyaltiesUniversity of Pennsylvania

Grant/Research SupportAbbott Vascular; Edwards Lifesciences; Johnson & Johnson; Medtronic

Editorial BoardsCatheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions; Journal of the American College of Cardiology; Circulation: Cardiovascular Interventions; JACC Cardiovascular Interventions; JACC Case Reports; JSCAI