The precise duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following implantation of a drug-eluting stent (DES) has been the subject of considerable controversy. On the one hand, prolonged therapy may help prevent late stent thrombosis, which was particularly evident in first generation DESs. On the other hand, the risk of stent thrombosis may have diminished in newer generation drug-eluting stents, and prolonged DAPT is associated with a greater risk for bleeding complications and additional expense and management issues.
In the Optimized Duration of Clopidogrel Therapy Following Treatment With the Zotarolimus-Eluting Stent in Real-World Clinical Practice (OPTIMIZE) trial 3,119 patients with stable CAD or a history of low-risk acute ACS who received a zotarolimus-eluting stent (Endeavor, Medtronic) were randomized to either short-term (3 months) or long-term (12 months) DAPT. The results of OPTIMIZE were presented at TCT 2013 in San Francisco and published online in JAMA.
At one year there were no significant differences between the groups. The primary endpoint– the composite of death, MI, stroke, or major bleeding– occurred in 6% of patients in the short term group versus 5.8% of patients in the long-term group (risk difference 0.17, CI -1.52 – 1.86, p = 0.002 for noninferiority). Between 3 months and 1 year there was an identical 2.6% rate of events in both groups.
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