Extending DAPT Beyond 1 Year for Multivessel CAD

Patients with multivessel coronary artery disease (CAD) who have undergone stenting often receive 12 months of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) to reduce the risk of recurrent ischemic events. But would a longer course provide additional benefit?

In this open-label, randomized trial, researchers enrolled 8250 patients 18 to 75 years of age with multivessel CAD across 97 centers in China. All had received a drug-eluting stent followed by 12 months of DAPT without major ischemic or bleeding events. They were then assigned to 12 additional months of either DAPT (clopidogrel plus aspirin) or aspirin alone (Figure 1); patients with planned use of anticoagulants were excluded. Median follow-up was 34 months.