Effectiveness of dual antiplatelet de-escalation therapy on the prognosis of patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

AIM: To investigate the effectiveness of de-escalation of ticagrelor (from ticagrelor 90 mg to clopidogrel 75 mg or ticagrelor 60 mg) on the prognosis of patients with ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) after 3 months of oral dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT). METHODS: From March 2017 to August 2021, 1056 patients with STEMI in a single centre, through retrospective investigation and analysis, were divided into intensive (ticagrelor 90 mg), standard (clopidogrel 75 mg after PCI) and de-escalation groups (clopidogrel 75 mg or ticagrelor 60 mg after 3 months of treatment with 90 mg ticagrelor) based on the type and dose of P2Y(12) inhibitor 3 months after PCI, and the patients had a ≥ 12-month history of oral DAPT. The primary end point was major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) during the 12-month follow-up period, including composite end points of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, ischaemia-driven revascularization and stroke. The major safety endpoint was bleeding events. RESULTS: The results showed that during the follow-up period, there was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of MACCEs between the intensive and de-escalation groups (P > 0.05). The incidence of MACCEs in the standard treatment group was higher than that in the intensive treatment group (P = 0.014), but the incidence of bleeding events in the de-escalation group was significantly lower than that in the standard group (9.3% vs. 18.4%, χ²=7.191, P = 0.027). The Cox regression analysis showed that increases in haemoglobin (HGB) (HR = 0.986) and estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) (HR = 0.983) could reduce the incidence of MACCEs, while old myocardial infarction (OMI) (P = 0.023) and hypertension (P = 0.013) were independent predictors of MACCEs. CONCLUSION: For STEMI patients undergoing PCI, the de-escalation scheme of ticagrelor to clopidogrel 75 mg or ticagrelor 60 mg at 3 months after PCI was related to the reduction of bleeding events, especially minor bleeding events, without an increase in ischaemic events.