P2Y12 monotherapy versus standard dual antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements None. Introduction Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and a P2Y12 receptor inhibitor after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is the recommended therapy for lowering the ischemic risk among patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, the increased incidence of bleeding is a major concern. Monotherapy with a P2Y12 inhibitor after short-term DAPT to reduce adverse cardiovascular events and bleeding rates has not been fully established and remains uncertain. This meta-analysis aims to determine the effectiveness of P2Y12 inhibitor monotherapy after short-term DAPT in reducing cardiovascular and bleeding events. Methods A comprehensive search of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examining the use of short-term DAPT followed by P2Y12 monotherapy in patients with ACS who underwent PCI was conducted. Outcome measures for all-cause mortality, myocardial infarction, and bleeding rates were analyzed using a random-effects model via Review Manager V5.4. Results A total of six randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with 36,724 subjects were analyzed. There were no significant differences in all-cause mortality (RR 0.89 [95% CI: 0.78-1.02], I² = 0%, p = 0.10) and myocardial infarction (RR 1.00 [95% CI: 0.88-1.14], I² = 0%, p = 0.72) between the P2Y12 inhibitor group and dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) group. There was a lower rate of major bleeding in the P2Y12 group compared to the DAPT group (RR 0.65 [95% CI: 0.49-0.88], I² = 76%, p = 0.002). The major sources of substantial heterogeneity are due to different intervals of de-escalation and baseline risk factors prior to PCI in each study. Conclusion P2Y12 monotherapy has similar rates of all-cause mortality and myocardial infarction. However, early de-escalation leads to a lower incidence of bleeding. P2Y12 monotherapy showed a 35% decreased risk of bleeding compared to the DAPT strategy. This suggests that P2Y12 monotherapy is a preferable antiplatelet strategy in patients undergoing PCI, especially in the high-risk bleeding population.