Comparison of ticagrelor and clopidogrel in primary percutaneous coronary intervention patients: a single-center retrospective study

Background It is uncertain whether ticagrelor is more effective and safer than clopidogrel in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients in the East Asian population in the real world. This study compared the clinical outcomes of ticagrelor and clopidogrel in STEMI patients undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods We retrospectively enrolled 1124 patients diagnosed with STEMI in Nanjing First Hospital from July 2011 to April 2019. Propensity score matching was used to balance baseline covariates between the ticagrelor and clopidogrel groups. The primary efficacy endpoint was all-cause death, and the primary safety endpoint was major bleeding, defined as Bleeding Academic Research Consortium type 3–5 bleeding. Results We enrolled 1124 STEMI patients in the analysis. After propensity score matching, 420 patients were included in each group. There was a lower incidence of all-cause death in the ticagrelor group when compared with the clopidogrel group during the follow-up (8.3 vs. 17.1%; hazard ratio: 0.481; P < 0.001). Ticagrelor was also associated with reduced myocardial infarction, cardiovascular death, and stent thrombosis. However, no difference was detected in major bleeding. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that age, Killip classification, creatinine, low-density lipoprotein, left ventricular ejection fraction, single vessel disease, inhospital intra-aortic balloon pump implantation, β-blockers, and ticagrelor were independent predictive parameters of all-cause death. Conclusion Compared with clopidogrel, ticagrelor reduced all-cause death but did not increase the incidence of major bleeding in primary PCI patients. Therefore, ticagrelor may be considered a viable substitute for clopidogrel.