Effects of single versus dual antiplatelet therapy on the adverse events after transcatheter aortic valve implantation: A meta‐analysis

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) was currently recommended for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) postoperative management in clinical application. However, POPular‐TAVI trial showed DAPT increased the incidence of adverse events compared to single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT). Herein, we performed a meta‐analysis to investigate the effect of SAPT versus DAPT on the adverse events after TAVI. Eleven studies were available from PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science from inception to April 1, 2021. The pooled effect size was presented as relative risk (RR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). The sensitivity analysis was used to assess the stability of analysis results, and Begg's test was applied to evaluate the publication bias. The Cochran Q test and the I (2) statistic were used to evaluate the heterogeneity, and the source of heterogeneity was explored by meta‐regression. A total of 4804 patients were obtained, with 2257 in SAPT group and 2547 in DAPT group. Compared to the DAPT, SAPT was associated with the decreased risk of all‐cause bleeding (RR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.44–0.61), major bleeding (RR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.32–0.86), and minor bleeding (RR: 0.58, 95% CI: 0.34–0.98). There were no significant differences in mortality and myocardial infarction events, stroke events, and acute kidney injury between the two groups. SAPT was superior to DAPT in decreasing all‐cause bleeding, major bleeding, and minor bleeding, suggesting that SAPT could be preferentially recommended for TAVI postoperative management in most patients without another indication for DAPT and oral anticoagulation.