Efficacy and Safety of Shortened Dual Antiplatelet Therapy in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

To update the efficacy and safety of short-term (≤3 months) dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) and standard (6-12 months) DAPT in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. In addition, we also explored the duration of DAPT in patients at high bleeding risk (HBR). In PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library, we electronically searched among all the studies from the establishment of the database to December 8, 2021, for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Nine randomized controlled trials (45,661 patients) ultimately met the inclusion criteria. The pooled analysis revealed that, compared with standard DAPT, ≤3-month DAPT significantly reduced major adverse cardiovascular event {hazard ratio (HR) = 0.89, 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.82-0.97]}, all-cause mortality [HR = 0.88, 95% CI (0.78-0.99)], cardiovascular mortality [HR = 0.79, 95% CI (0.65-0.97)], major bleeding [HR = 0.72, 95% CI (0.56-0.93)], and any bleeding [HR = 0.57, 95% CI (0.50-0.66)], while no significant differences in the risk of myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, and stroke. In patients with HBR, the results showed that ≤3-month DAPT significantly reduced major bleeding [HR = 0.35, 95% CI (0.14-0.88)] and any bleeding [HR = 0.53, 95% CI (0.41-0.67)] compared with standard DAPT, while the risk of other outcomes was not statistically different. In conclusion, this study showed that ≤3-month DAPT may be a valid option for most patients after percutaneous coronary intervention. Because reductions in major adverse cardiovascular event, all-cause mortality, and cardiovascular mortality were not seen in patients with HBR, this also highlights the need for specific studies in these patients about optimal duration of antiplatelet therapy.