Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein-guided Clopidogrel maintenance therapy reduces cardiovascular events in atrial fibrillation patients requiring anticoagulation therapy and scheduled for percutaneous coronary intervention: a prospective cohort study

• Published in: BMC cardiovascular disorders 2018-06, Vol.18 (1), p.120-11, Article 120
• Main Authors: Hu, Chaoyue, Zhang, Xumin, Liu, Yonghua, Gao, Yang, Zhao, Xiaohong, Zhou, Hua, Luo, Yu, Liu, Yaling, Wang, Xiaodong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Angioplasty; Anticoagulants; Anticoagulants - adverse effects; Anticoagulants - therapeutic use; Anticoagulation; Antiplatelet therapy; Atrial fibrillation; Atrial Fibrillation - blood; Atrial Fibrillation - diagnosis; Atrial Fibrillation - drug therapy; Biomarkers - blood; Bleeding; Blood Coagulation - drug effects; Blood Platelets - drug effects; Blood Platelets - metabolism; Cardiovascular diseases; Cell Adhesion Molecules - blood; Clopidogrel; Clopidogrel - administration & dosage; Clopidogrel - adverse effects; Cohort analysis; Complications and side effects; Control; Coronary Artery Disease - blood; Coronary Artery Disease - diagnosis; Coronary Artery Disease - surgery; Dosage and administration; Drug Monitoring - methods; Female; Fibrillation; Hemorrhage - chemically induced; Humans; International Normalized Ratio; Male; Medical imaging; Microfilament Proteins - blood; Middle Aged; Myocardial infarction; Patients; Percutaneous coronary intervention; Percutaneous Coronary Intervention - adverse effects; Phosphoproteins - blood; Platelet Aggregation - drug effects; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors - administration & dosage; Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors - adverse effects; Platelets; Predictive Value of Tests; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Stents; Stroke; Thromboembolism; Thrombolysis; Time Factors; Treatment Outcome; Vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein
• ISSN: 1471-2261; 1471-2261
• DOI: 10.1186/s12872-018-0853-x

In a previous study, we found that titrating clopidogrel maintenance doses (MDs) according to vasodilator-stimulated phosphoprotein (VASP) monitoring minimised the rate of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebral events (MACCE) after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) without increasing bleeding in patients with high on-treatment platelet reaction to clopidogrel. This study aimed to investigate whether VASP-guided clopidogrel MD could reduce thromboembolism and bleeding in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients requiring anticoagulation and scheduled for PCI. AF patients scheduled for PCI were recruited between July 2014 and July 2016. These patients were allocated into VASP-guided (n = 250) and control (n = 253) groups depending on the clopidogrel MD profile. In the VASP-guided group, clopidogrel MD was titrated by the platelet reactivity index (PRI), whereas in the control group, clopidogrel MD was fixed at 75 mg per day. The primary endpoint was MACCE and secondary endpoints were thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) major and minor bleeding 1 year after PCI. Five hundred and three patients were included in the present study, with 1-year data available for 95.6% patients. The average CHA DS -VASc score of the whole population was 3.7 ± 0.7 and the average HAS-BLED score was 3.2 ± 0.4. MACCE was less in the VASP-guided group than in the control group (2.5% vs. 5.0%, P = 0.02). The incidence of major bleeding was comparable between both groups (3.0% vs. 2.8%, P = 0.72) and minor bleeding was higher in the VASP-guided group than in the control group (15.3% vs. 9.7%, P = 0.03). Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated that there was no difference in survival between both groups (log-rank test, P = 0.68). In AF patients requiring anticoagulation and scheduled for PCI, VASP-guided antiplatelet therapy reduced major cardiovascular and cerebral adverse events, accompanied by increased minor bleeding events. The present study was retrospectively registered in the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry, A Primary Registry of the International Clinical Trial Registry Platform, World Health Organisation (Registration no: ChiCTR-IOR-17013854 ). The registered date was December 11, 2117.