Platelet Reactivity in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes Awaiting Surgical Revascularization

BACKGROUND Dual antiplatelet therapy is recommended for patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Approximately 10% to 15% of these patients will undergo coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery for index events, and current guidelines recommend stopping clopidogrel at least 5 days before CABG. This waiting time has clinical and economic implications. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to evaluate if a platelet reactivity-based strategy is noninferior to standard of care for 24-h post-CABG bleeding. METHODS In this randomized, open label noninferiority trial, 190 patients admitted with ACS with indications for CABG and on aspirin and P2Y(12) receptor inhibitors, were assigned to either control group, P2Y(12) receptor inhibitor withdrawn 5 to 7 days before CABG, or intervention group, daily measurements of platelet reactivity by Multiplate analyzer (Roche Diagnostics GmbH, Vienna, Austria) with CABG planned the next working day after platelet reactivity normalization (predefined as >= 46 aggregation units). RESULTS Within the first 24 h of CABG, the median chest tube drainage was 350 ml (interquartile range [IQR]: 250 to 475 ml) and 350 ml (IQR: 255 to 500 ml) in the intervention and control groups, respectively (p for noninferiority <0.001). The median waiting period between the decision to undergo CABG and the procedure was 112 h (IQR: 66 to 142 h) and 136 h (IQR: 112 to 161 h) (p < 0.001), respectively. In the intention-to-treat analysis, a 6.4% decrease in the median in-hospital expenses was observed in the intervention group (p = 0.014), with 11.2% decrease in the analysis per protocol (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS A strategy based on platelet reactivity-guided is noninferior to the standard of care in patients with ACS awaiting CABG regarding peri-operative bleeding, significantly shortens the waiting time to CABG, and decreases hospital expenses. (C) 2021 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation.

Automated summary

The platelet reactivity-based strategy is as effective as the standard of care in preventing post-CABG bleeding in ACS patients, while also reducing waiting time and hospital expenses.