Dual antiplatelet therapy is associated with favorable outcome in acute minor stroke with an onset-to-door time beyond 24 h

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: In patients with noncardioembolic acute minor ischemic stroke (AMIS), dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin plus clopidogrel within 24 h after stroke onset was more effective than aspirin alone. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of DAPT in AMIS patients with an onset-to-door time (OTDT) of more than 24 h. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of a prospective stroke registry from 2015 to 2021. Patients with AMIS and an OTDT within seven days were classified into the Early (≤24 h) and Late groups (>24 h) according to the time of antiplatelet administration after stroke onset. RESULTS: In total, 691 patients were identified. Of these, 446 (64.5%) and 245 (35.5%) patients were classified into the Early and Late groups, respectively. The rates of recurrent infarction and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage at 90 days were similar between the single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) and DAPT subgroups in both the Early and Late groups. More patients in the DAPT subgroup had a favorable outcome (modified Rankin scale of 0-1) at 90 days in both Early (84.2% versus 75.0%, p = 0.016) and Late (88.2% versus 76.9%, p = 0.040) groups. DAPT was independently associated with a favorable outcome in both the Early (odds ratio, 1.95; 95% CI, 1.15-3.32; p = 0.013) and Late (odds ratio, 2.72; 95% CI, 1.14-6.48; p = 0.024) groups. CONCLUSION: In patients with AMIS and an OTDT of more than 24 h, DAPT was associated with a favorable outcome at 90 days.