Why the study?
Long-term antiplatelet therapy is recommended for stable coronary artery disease, but non-adherence is common in older patients, leaving its incidence and clinical impact unclear.
Does cessation of antiplatelet therapy increase major adverse cardiovascular events in very older patients (≥80 years) with stable coronary artery disease?
Does cessation of antiplatelet therapy increase major adverse cardiovascular events in very older patients (≥80 years) with stable coronary artery disease?
In very older patients (≥80 years) with stable coronary artery disease, cessation of antiplatelet therapy significantly increases the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events, particularly non-fatal MI and angina, without a corresponding reduction in minor bleeding.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Cessation of antiplatelet therapy was associated with higher MACE in very old stable CAD patients; leaves open whether RCTs should test continuation strategies.
Objectives: Long-term use of evidence-based antiplatelet therapy is recommended for management of stable coronary artery disease (SCAD). However, non-adherence to antiplatelet drugs is common in older patients. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence and impact of antiplatelet therapy cessation on clinical outcomes of older patients with SCAD. Methods: A total of 351 consecutive eligible very older patients (≥80 years) with SCAD from the PLA General Hospital were included. Baseline demographics, clinical characteristics, and clinical outcomes were collected during follow-up. Patients were divided into cessation group and standard group based on whether discontinuing of antiplatelet drugs. The primary outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and secondary outcomes were minor bleeding and all-cause mortality. Results: A total of 351 participants, with a mean age of 91.76 ± 5.01 years old (range 80–106 years) were included in statistical analysis. The antiplatelet drug cessation rate was 60.1%. There were 211 patients in cessation group and 140 patients in standard group. During a median follow-up of 98.6 months, the primary outcome of MACE occurred in 155 patients (73.5%) in the cessation group and 84 patients (60.0%) in the standard group (HR = 1.476, 95% CI:1.124-1.938, p = 0.005). Cessation of antiplatelet drugs increased the rates of angina (HR = 1.724, 95% CI:1.211-2.453, p = 0.002) and non-fatal MI (HR = 1.569, 95% CI:1.093-2.251, p = 0.014). The secondary outcomes of minor bleeding and all-cause mortality were similar between the two groups. Conclusion: Among very older patients with SCAD, antiplatelet therapy cessation significantly increased the risk of MACE, and continuous antiplatelet drug therapy didn’t increase the risk of minor bleeding.
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Zou et al. (2023) studied this question.
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