Time interval of esomeprazole and dual antiplatelet therapy in patients with cardiocerebrovascular diseases

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with the combination of clopidogrel and aspirin is recommended for preventing secondary ischemic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are suggested as preventive treatment for these patients. Due to clopidogrel-PPI interactions, separating their administration might be considered. However, a paucity of studies has been conducted to investigate the outcome differences between concurrent and interval-based use in ACS and AIS patients. Our study aimed to evaluate clinical outcomes based on administration timing. This study included patients with ACS or AIS onset or recurrence of within the last month. Patients who were expected to receive DAPT for at least 6 months and who were currently taking or planning to take esomeprazole were included. Patients were divided into Group 1 (interval administration group, IA group) and Group 2 (concurrent administration group, CA group) according to the interval between esomeprazole and DAPT administration. The time interval was based on 12 hours. The primary outcome was the occurrence of major adverse cardiocerebrovascular events (MACCEs), and safety outcomes were defined as major bleeding, minor bleeding and gastrointestinal bleeding and intracranial hemorrhage. A total of 3600 patients completed this study. The proportions of patients in the 2 groups were as follows: CA group, 99% (n = 3489) and IA group, 1% (n = 111). The primary outcome occurred in 0.9% of patients in the IA group and 1.8% of patients in the CA group (P = .51). There was no significant distinction in the overall bleeding risk of the CA group compared to that of the IA group (2.75% in the CA group and 2.70% in the IA group). Additionally, there was no significant difference observed between the 2 groups for safety outcomes. This multicenter, prospective, observational study that enrolled patients with ACS or AIS demonstrated that there was no significant difference in the occurrence of MACCEs and bleeding issues within 6 months according to the medication administration interval. The majority of patients with DAPT were taking PPIs simultaneously in real-world practice.