Safety and efficacy of interrupting dual antiplatelet therapy one month following percutaneous coronary intervention: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Very short duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has recently attracted a lot of attention with the introduction of newer generations stents. This is appealing, especially in patients at high bleeding risk. However, none of the trials were powered for the individual ischemic and bleeding endpoints. All randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating one-month versus routine duration of DAPT in patients undergoing PCI and reporting outcomes from the time of cessation of DAPT (1 month) to 1 year were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis. The pooled risk ratios (RR) with their 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated with the random-effects model using the Mantel-Haenszel method. Four RCTs involving 26,576 patients were included in this meta-analysis. Cessation of DAPT after 1 month was associated with significantly less major bleeding [RR 0.70, 95%CI (0.51–0.95), P = 0.02, heterogeneity (I 2 ) = 42%]. There was no statistically significant difference in all-cause mortality [RR 0.84 (95%CI 0.69–1.03), P = 0.10, I 2 = 0%] and stroke [RR 0.71 (95%CI 0.45–1.13), P = 0.15, I 2 = 42%] when compared to routine duration of DAPT. There was also no difference in myocardial infarction (MI) [RR 1.12 (95%CI 0.91–1.39), P = 0.28, I 2 = 0%], and definite or probable stent thrombosis [RR 1.49 (95%CI 0.92–2.41), P = 0.11, I 2 = 0%] with cessation of DAPT after 1 month. Cessation of DAPT 1 month after PCI was associated with significantly less major bleeding, but there was no difference in the rate of all-cause mortality, stroke, MI and stent thrombosis.