Short- Versus Long-TermDual Antiplatelet Therapy AfterDrug-Eluting Stent Implantation

ABSTRACT

Randomized controlled trials comparing short- (#6 months) with long-term ($1 year) dual antiplatelettherapy (DAPT) after drug-eluting stent(s) (DES) placement have been insufficiently powered to detect significantdifferences in the risk of major adverse cardiac events (MACE).OBJECTIVES This study sought to compare clinical outcomes between short- (#6 months) and long-term (1 year)DAPT and among 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year of DAPT post-DES placement by performing an individual patient datapairwise and network meta-analysis.METHODS Randomized controlled trials comparing DAPT durations after DES placement were searched through theMEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases and in international meeting proceedings. The primary study outcomewas 1-year risk of MACE (cardiac death, myocardial infarction, or definite/probable stent thrombosis).RESULTS Four trials including 8,180 randomized patients were identified. At 1-year follow-up, short-term DAPT wasassociated with similar rates of MACE (hazard ratio [HR] 1.11; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86 to 1.43; p » 0.44), butsignificantly lower rates of bleeding (HR 0.66; 95% CI 0.46 to 0.94; p » 0.03) versus prolonged DAPT. Comparableresults were apparent in the landmark period between DAPT discontinuation and 1-year follow-up (for MACE HR 1.20;95% CI 0.77 to 1.89; p » 0.42) (for bleeding HR 0.44; 95% CI 0.21 to 0.91; p » 0.03). There were no significantdifferences in 1-year rates of MACE among 3-month versus 1-year DAPT, 6-month versus 1-year DAPT, or 3-month versus6-month DAPT.CONCLUSIONS Compared with prolonged DAPT, short-term DAPT is associated with similar rates of MACE but lowerrates of bleeding after DES placement.