A review of the ACC/AHA and ESC updates for dual antiplatelet therapy delineates common domains, consistent messages, and differences in recommended management strategies.
This review highlights the similarities and differences between the ACC/AHA and ESC guidelines regarding the duration and selection of dual antiplatelet therapy in patients with coronary artery disease.
Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is the cornerstone of pharmacological treatment aimed at preventing the atherothrombotic complications in patients with a variety of coronary artery disease (CAD) manifestations. Prescribers of DAPT are confronted with a number of challenges that include selecting the appropriate P2Y12 inhibitor and determining the optimal duration of DAPT with the scope of minimizing the risk of ischemic and bleeding complications in light of each patient's clinical characteristic and circumstance. Recently, a guideline writing committee from the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) and a task force from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) released their respective focused update recommendations on "Duration of DAPT in Patients with CAD" (ACC/AHA) and "DAPT in CAD" (ESC). This paper aims to review the ACC/AHA and ESC updates for DAPT to delineate common domains, consistent messages, and differences in recommended management strategies across the Atlantic.
“By putting the document together, we found that on the two sides of the pond, actually there are more similarities than differences.”
Capodanno et al. (2018) conducted a review in Coronary artery disease (CAD). ACC/AHA and ESC guidelines on Dual Antiplatelet Therapy was evaluated. A review of the ACC/AHA and ESC updates for dual antiplatelet therapy delineates common domains, consistent messages, and differences in recommended management strategies.