Background: Dual antiplatelet therapy, with aspirin and a thienopyridine, is the accepted treatment after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). No clear evidence exists regarding the ideal dosage of aspirin. Recent guidelines recommend higher-dose aspirin because of the possible decrease in stent thrombosis. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that high-dose aspirin of 325 mg decreases death and myocardial infarction (MI) compared to a lower dose of 81 mg in patients undergoing PCI.
Methods: An observational cohort study of 1,840 consecutive patients who underwent PCI was conducted. Patients who did not survive to discharge were excluded. The primary endpoint was a composite of all-cause mortality and MI at 1 year.
Results: Nine-hundred and thirty patients (50.5%) were discharged on 325 mg of aspirin and 910 (49.5%) were discharged of 81 mg. The risk of all-cause mortality or MI was not significantly different between patients: low-dose 5.49% (50/910) vs. high-dose 4.19% (39/930); adjusted odds ratio [OR], 1.16; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.73-1.85). In a multivariable analysis, the Charlson comorbidity score (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.18-1.58) and urgent PCI (OR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.03-3.00) were associated with increased death or MI. Among patients with drug-eluting stents, the use of low-dose aspirin did not predispose them to death or MI (adjusted OR, 1.12, 95% CI, 0.53-2.34).
Conclusions: In this large contemporary analysis of PCI patients, no differences in death or MI were observed at 1 year between patients discharged on low-dose aspirin 81 mg compared to patients on a higher dose.