ticagrelor and Vascular-Diseases

Ticagrelor may be an alternative to aspirin as it provides robust and consistent platelet inhibition. However, the effect of ticagrelor treatment in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) has not been well confirmed. We conducted a meta-analysis to appraise whether ticagrelor therapy affects outcomes in CABG patients.. We searched PubMed, Embase, EBSCO, and Cochrane databases from its inception up to 4 December 2020 for randomized controlled trials that assessed ticagrelor versus non-ticagrelor in patients undergoing CABG. The primary outcome was the incidence of saphenous vein graft (SVG) occlusion at 1 year after CABG. Secondary outcomes were SVG occlusion at 7 days, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), and bleeding requiring reoperation.. Seven trials including 4305 patients (2153 randomized to ticagrelor therapy and 2152 to non-ticagrelor therapy) were included. One-hundred and thirty of 1140 patients (11.4%) randomized to the ticagrelor group versus 175 of 1220 patients (14.3%) randomized to the non-ticagrelor group experienced SVG occlusion at 1 year after CABG. Compared to the control group, ticagrelor therapy yielded a significantly lower risk of SVG occlusion [RR 0.79 (0.64-0.97),. Compared with non-ticagrelor therapy, ticagrelor decreased the risk of saphenous vein graft occlusion after 1 year in patients undergoing elective CABG with saphenous vein grafting.

Topics: Aspirin; Coronary Artery Bypass; Graft Occlusion, Vascular; Hemorrhage; Humans; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Saphenous Vein; Ticagrelor; Treatment Outcome; Vascular Diseases

Aspirin resistance describes a phenomenon where patients receiving aspirin therapy do not respond favorably to treatment, and is categorized by continued incidence of adverse cardiovascular events and/or the lack of reduced platelet reactivity. Studies demonstrate that one in four patients with vascular disease are resistant to aspirin therapy, placing them at an almost four-fold increased risk of major adverse limb and adverse cardiovascular events. Despite the increased cardiovascular risk incurred by aspirin resistant patients, strategies to diagnose or overcome this resistance are yet to be clinically validated and integrated. Currently, five unique laboratory assays have shown promise for aspirin resistance testing: Light transmission aggregometry, Platelet Function Analyzer-100, Thromboelastography, Verify Now, and Platelet Works. Newer antiplatelet therapies such as Plavix and Ticagrelor have been tested as an alternative to overcome aspirin resistance (used both in combination with aspirin and alone) but have not proven to be superior to aspirin alone. A recent breakthrough discovery has demonstrated that rivaroxaban, an anticoagulant which functions by inhibiting active Factor X when taken in combination with aspirin, improves outcomes in patients with vascular disease. Current studies are determining how this new regime may benefit those who are considered aspirin resistant.

Topics: Anticoagulants; Aspirin; Clopidogrel; Factor X; Humans; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Point-of-Care Testing; Rivaroxaban; Ticagrelor; Vascular Diseases

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common hemoglobinopathy, occurring worldwide, and vaso-occlusive events (VOEs) are its paramount, hallmark clinical manifestation. Evidence exists that platelets play an important role in generating VOEs.. To assess the clinical benefits and harms of antiplatelet agents for preventing VOEs in patients with SCD.. We conducted searches of the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL; up to 2018, issue 3 of 12), PubMed/MEDLINE (up to April 20, 2018), and the Excerpta Medica database (EMBASE; from 1980 to week 16 of 2018). We also searched the Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (LILACS) database, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) website, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP), and www.ClinicalTrials.gov. We checked the bibliographies of included studies and any relevant systematic reviews. Our systematic review included randomized clinical trials (RCTs) conducted in people who had SCD without VOEs at trial entry. Eligible trials compared a single or combination treatment regimen (with each treatment classified as a conventional or nonconventional antiplatelet agent) with conventional care, placebo, or another regimen. No restrictions were placed on the route of administration, dose, frequency, or duration of treatment. We selected RCTs, assessed the risk for bias, and extracted data in a duplicate and independent fashion. We estimated risk ratios for dichotomous outcomes and mean differences for continuous outcomes. We also subjected our analyses to a random-effects model, and Trial Sequential Analysis (TSA) was used. We used the grading of recommendations, assessment, development, and evaluation (GRADE) approach to assess the overall quality of data for each individual outcome.. We identified 5 RCTs (N=747) that met our criteria. Of these, 4 trials were multicenter and multinational. The trials included patients of all ages and assessed prasugrel, ticagrelor, crizanlizumab, and aspirin vs either placebo or no intervention. The most frequent route of administration was oral. The trials were small and carried a high risk for bias, given that pharmaceutical companies sponsored 4 of them. None of the trials reported information on quality of life. No meta-analysis was performed owing to heterogeneity in the ages of the participants and in the interventions. No single trial showed evidence of certainty regarding all-cause mortality. One trial showed uncertainty in comparing prasugrel vs placebo for preventing VOEs in patients younger than 18 years (relative risk [RR], 0.92; 95% CI, 0.80 to 1.06; low quality of evidence). TSA for this outcome suggested that a new trial should be conducted. One trial found a difference in the size effect of uncomplicated VOEs, favoring high-dose crizanlizumab vs placebo (mean difference, -1.50; 95% CI, -2.61 to -0.39; very low quality of evidence). No difference in VOEs was found in studies that compared either ticagrelor in children or prasugrel in adults vs placebo. The overall incidence of harms in any intervention did not differ from that in the control.. The current evidence does not support or reject the use of any antiplatelet agent for preventing VOEs in people with SCD. This conclusion was based on small RCTs that carried a high risk for bias. No conclusive evidence exists regarding relevant clinical outcomes because the evidence is limited and of very low quality.

Topics: Adult; Anemia, Sickle Cell; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Hemorrhage; Humans; Mortality; Multicenter Studies as Topic; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Prasugrel Hydrochloride; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Ticagrelor; Treatment Outcome; Vascular Diseases

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is an increasingly recognised cause of acute coronary syndrome, particularly in women. A 36-year-old Caucasian woman presented to our hospital with sudden onset chest pain and was diagnosed with a non-ST elevation myocardial infarction. Coronary angiography revealed mid and distal left anterior descending artery (LAD) dissection with distal LAD occlusion. A short segment of apical LAD filled late with incomplete opacification (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) 1 flow). A decision was made to treat the patient conservatively, with subsequent resolution of dissection over the next 3 months. Our patient made a good clinical recovery with healing of her affected coronary vasculature on subsequent angiogram. The case illustrates that SCAD can be managed conservatively with antiplatelet agents, β-blockers, heparin and statins, if the patient is haemodynamically stable and coronary flow is adequate.

Topics: Adenosine; Adult; Anticholesteremic Agents; Antihypertensive Agents; Aspirin; Atorvastatin; Carbazoles; Carvedilol; Coronary Angiography; Coronary Vessel Anomalies; Diagnosis, Differential; Echocardiography; Electrocardiography; Female; Humans; Myocardial Infarction; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Propanolamines; Purinergic P2Y Receptor Antagonists; Ticagrelor; Vascular Diseases

The efficacy and safety of different antiplatelet regimes for prevention of stroke in patients at high risk were investigated in a systematic review and meta-analysis.. We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, MEDLINE, and Web of Science. Twenty-two studies comprising 173 371 patients were included.. In the overall population, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and clopidogrel in comparison to aspirin monotherapy reduced the relative risk of total stroke by 20% (risk ratio [RR], 0.80; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73-0.88; P<0.0001; I(2)=28%) and of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack by 23% (RR, 0.77; 95% CI, 0.69-0.85; P<0.0001; I(2)=18%) without increasing the risk of intracranial hemorrhage. In the secondary prevention cohort, DAPT with aspirin and clopidogrel also reduced the relative risk of total stroke by 24% as compared with aspirin alone (RR, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.68-0.86; P<0.0001; I(2)=0%). DAPT with prasugrel or ticagrelor and aspirin versus DAPT with clopidogrel and aspirin was not associated with a risk reduction of stroke.. DAPT with clopidogrel and aspirin compared with aspirin effectively reduces the risk of total and ischemic stroke in the overall cohort consisting of patients with cardiovascular disease without increase in intracranial hemorrhage, as well as decreases the risk of a recurrent total stroke in patients with a previous stroke/transient ischemic attack. Our meta-analysis suggests that DAPT including low-dose aspirin (75-100 mg) and clopidogrel (75 mg) should be further investigated as a strategy to reduce recurrent strokes.. http://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero. Unique identifier: CRD42011001596.

Topics: Adenosine; Aged; Aspirin; Cerebral Hemorrhage; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Clopidogrel; Cohort Studies; Data Interpretation, Statistical; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Male; Middle Aged; Piperazines; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Population; Prasugrel Hydrochloride; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Receptors, Purinergic P2; Secondary Prevention; Stroke; Thiophenes; Ticagrelor; Ticlopidine; Vascular Diseases

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) affects 4% to 12% of women in reproductive age, representing a clinical condition that could predispose to cardiovascular diseases. We report a case of a 34-year-old woman with PCOS, presenting with chest pain, onset two days before, and ST segment-elevation myocardial infarction. She was not pregnant or in a postpartum state. Subsequent cardiac angiography revealed spontaneous left anterior descending coronary artery dissections, managed by conservative approach. The patient was discharged in medical therapy after 5days. This is the first observation of spontaneous coronary artery dissection occurring in a PCOS patient.

Topics: Acute Coronary Syndrome; Adenosine; Adult; Aspirin; Chest Pain; Coronary Angiography; Coronary Vessel Anomalies; Coronary Vessels; Electrocardiography; Female; Humans; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome; Purinergic P2Y Receptor Antagonists; Ticagrelor; Vascular Diseases