RCT: Clopidogrel with or without aspirin in patients taking oral anticoagulant therapy and undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (WOEST)

Source: Lancet Area: News If percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is required in patients taking oral anticoagulants, double antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel is indicated. However, such triple therapy increases the risk of serious bleeding and this treatment strategy has not been tested prospectively.   Omission of oral anticoagulants could lead to an increased risk of thrombotic stroke, whereas clopidogrel is essential to prevent stent thrombosis. The exclusion of aspirin might, therefore, be useful to reduce the bleeding risk in patients with coronary artery disease.   The open-label WOEST (What is the Optimal antiplatElet and anticoagulant therapy in patients with oral anticoagulation and coronary StenTing) study investigated the safety and efficacy of clopidogrel alone compared with clopidogrel plus aspirin.   Researchers enrolled Dutch and Belgian adults with a long-term indication for oral anticoagulation treatment (until at least 1 year after the ...
Source: NeLM - News - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: news