Novel insights on dual antiplatelet therapy duration following stenting for angiography-detected moderate-to-severe calcified coronary lesions

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), comprising both aspirin and the P2Y₁₂ receptor inhibitor, is crucial in managing patients with coronary artery disease following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The optimal duration for DAPT in patients with angiography-detected moderate-to-severe calcified coronary (MSCC) lesions who underwent PCI with drug-eluting stents (DES) implantation remains uncertain. We recruited patients with angiography-detected MSCC lesions who received DES implantation from the prospective Fuwai Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Registry. Patients were classified into two groups according to the duration of DAPT: those with a DAPT duration of one year or less, and those with a DAPT duration of more than one year. The primary endpoint was the major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular event, which was defined as composed of all-cause death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, or nonfatal stroke. The key-safety endpoint was bleeding type 2, 3, or 5 according to the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria. There were 1730 patients included in the study, and 470 (27.17 %) continued DAPT for more than one year after undergoing MSCC-PCI with DES implantation. The median follow-up time was 2.5 years. DAPT>1-year versus ≤1-year DAPT was significantly associated with a reduced risk of the primary outcome (1.59 % versus 3.19 %; adjusted hazard ratio=0.44; 95 % CI: 0.22–0.88). Similar trends were observed for all-cause death (0.16 % versus 1.91 %; P<0.001) and cardiovascular death (0.08 % versus 1.06 %; P=0.001). There was no significant difference in the key-safety endpoint between 2 regimens (1.75 % versus 0.85 %; adjusted hazard ratio=1.95; 95 % CI: 0.65–5.84). In conclusion, long-term DAPT after DES implantation in patients with MSCC lesions resulted in improved clinical outcomes at 2.5 years. This was achieved by reducing the risk of ischemia without increasing clinically significant bleeding.