Summary
It is unknown whether the known association of high on-treatment platelet reactivity
(HTPR) with worse clinical outcome in patients on clopidogrel following coronary stent
implantation persists after planned discontinuation of clopidogrel. This study investigated
the association of HTPR with major ischaemic events after planned discontinuation
of clopidogrel. Consecutive patients undergoing elective coronary stent implantation
after loading with clopidogrel 600 mg were followed for up to seven years (n=765).
Platelet reactivity was tested on day 1 after coronary intervention. Clopidogrel was
continued for six months after implantation of drug-eluting stents and for one month
if only bare-metal stents were used. The combined primary endpoint was death of any
cause or non-fatal myocardial infarction (MACE). HTPR was found in 217 of 765 patients
(28%). During a median follow-up of 5.7 years, the primary endpoint occurred in 145
subjects after planned discontinuation of clopidogrel. Patients with HTPR showed a
higher incidence of MACE after discontinuation of clopidogrel. There was a significant
interaction of HTPR and time following discontinuation of clopidogrel beyond one year
(p for interaction 0.08). Landmark analyses confirmed that the association of HTPR
and MACE was only significant within the first year (HR: 2.93, 95%-CI 1.13–7.60, p=0.03),
but not beyond the first year following discontinuation of clopidogrel (HR: 1.19,
95%-CI 0.82–1.72, p=0.37). In conclusion, patients with HTPR persist to be at high
risk for death or myocardial infarction even following planned discontinuation of
clopidogrel. However, this association was only significant for the first year following
discontinuation of clopidogrel.
Keywords
Antiplatelet therapy - platelet function - discontinuation - outcome