The Tradeoff Between Shorter and Longer Courses of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Implantation of Newer Generation Drug-Eluting Stents

The benefit of prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) after implantation of drug-eluting stents (DESs) remains uncertain. In 10 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of 31,666 predominantly low-risk patients undergoing DES implantation, shorter courses (3-12 months) of DAPT resulted in lower mortality (odds ratio [OR] 0.83, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.69-0.98) and major hemorrhage (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.48-0.75) but increased myocardial infarction (MI, OR 1.34, 95 % CI 1.04-1.73) and stent thrombosis (ST, OR 1.75, 95 % CI 1.08-2.82) than did longer courses (12-36 months) of DAPT. A risk-benefit analysis identified 3 fewer deaths and 5 fewer bleeds but 4 more MIs and 3 more STs annually for every 1000 patients treated with the shorter courses. In the predominantly low-risk population enrolled in RCTs, limiting DAPT to 3 to 12 months after DES implantation saved lives and prevented bleeding at the expense of increased ST and MI.