Trends in Dual Antiplatelet Therapy of Aspirin and Clopidogrel and Outcomes in Ischemic Stroke Patients Noneligible for POINT/CHANCE Trial Treatment

J Am Heart Assoc. 2024 May 21;13(10):e033611. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.123.033611. Epub 2024 May 18.

Abstract

Background: Recent clinical trials established the benefit of dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel (DAPT-AC) in early-presenting patients with minor ischemic stroke. However, the impact of these trials over time on the use and outcomes of DAPT-AC among the patients with nonminor or late-presenting stroke who do not meet the eligibility criteria of these trials has not been delineated.

Methods and results: In a multicenter stroke registry, this study examined yearly changes from April 2008 to August 2022 in DAPT-AC use for stroke patients ineligible for CHANCE/POINT (Clopidogrel in High-Risk Patients with Acute Nondisabling Cerebrovascular Events/Platelet-Oriented Inhibition in New TIA and Minor Ischemic Stroke) clinical trials due to National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale >4 or late arrival beyond 24 hours of onset. A total of 32 118 patients (age, 68.1±13.1 years; male, 58.5%) with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale of 4 (interquartile range, 1-7) were analyzed. In 2008, DAPT-AC was used in 33.0%, other antiplatelets in 62.7%, and no antiplatelet in 4.3%. The frequency of DAPT-AC was relatively unchanged through 2013, when the CHANCE trial was published, and then increased steadily, reaching 78% in 2022, while other antiplatelets decreased to 17.8% in 2022 (Ptrend<0.001). From 2011 to 2022, clinical outcomes nonsignificantly improved, with an average relative risk reduction of 2%/y for the composite of stroke, myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality, both among patients treated with DAPT-AC and patients treated with other antiplatelets.

Conclusions: Use of DAPT-AC in stroke patients with stroke ineligible for recent DAPT clinical trials increased markedly and steadily after CHANCE publication in 2013, reaching deployment in nearly 4 of every 5 patients by 2022. The secondary prevention in patients with ischemic stroke seems to be gradually improving, possibly due to the enhancement of risk factor control.

Keywords: acute ischemic stroke; aspirin; clopidogrel; dual antiplatelet treatment; late‐presenting stroke; nonminor stroke.

Publication types

  • Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Aspirin* / therapeutic use
  • Clopidogrel* / therapeutic use
  • Drug Therapy, Combination
  • Dual Anti-Platelet Therapy* / adverse effects
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Ischemic Stroke* / diagnosis
  • Ischemic Stroke* / drug therapy
  • Ischemic Stroke* / mortality
  • Ischemic Stroke* / prevention & control
  • Japan / epidemiology
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors* / adverse effects
  • Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors* / therapeutic use
  • Registries*
  • Risk Factors
  • Secondary Prevention / methods
  • Secondary Prevention / trends
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome