Indications and Evidence for Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Acute Ischemic Stroke. Ringler Jessica,Steck Mackenzie,Shah Samarth P,Chester Katleen W Critical care nursing quarterly The antiplatelet landscape for the secondary prevention of ischemic stroke has changed significantly over the past decade. Poststroke dual antiplatelet regimens are becoming increasingly routine as supported by recent literature and guideline recommendations. Dual antiplatelet therapy after stroke generally consists of aspirin and clopidogrel and is considered in the short term after stroke in select populations including those with mild stroke or transient ischemic attack and in patients with severe intracranial atherosclerosis. When initiating dual antiplatelet therapy, factors that may increase a patient's risk of bleeding must be weighed against the patient's risk of future ischemic events. This review focuses on antiplatelet medications available in the United States with the aim to provide a summary of the available literature on poststroke dual antiplatelet therapy, pharmacological nuances of the agents, and reversal of antiplatelets in the setting of intracerebral hemorrhage. 10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000298

Comparative Effectiveness of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy With Aspirin and Clopidogrel Versus Aspirin Monotherapy in Mild-to-Moderate Acute Ischemic Stroke According to the Risk of Recurrent Stroke: An Analysis of 15 000 Patients From a Nationwide, Multicenter Registry. Lee Hak-Loh,Kim Joon-Tae,Lee Ji Sung,Park Man-Seok,Choi Kang-Ho,Cho Ki-Hyun,Kim Beom Joon,Park Jong-Moo,Kang Kyusik,Lee Soo Joo,Kim Jae Guk,Cha Jae-Kwan,Kim Dae-Hyun,Park Tai Hwan,Park Sang-Soon,Lee Kyung Bok,Lee Jun,Hong Keun-Sik,Cho Yong-Jin,Park Hong-Kyun,Lee Byung-Chul,Yu Kyung-Ho,Sun Oh Mi,Kim Dong-Eog,Ryu Wi-Sun,Choi Jay Chol,Kwon Jee-Hyun,Kim Wook-Joo,Shin Dong-Ick,Sohn Sung Il,Hong Jeong-Ho,Lee Juneyoung,Bae Hee-Joon Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes BACKGROUND:This study compared the effectiveness of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with clopidogrel-aspirin with that of aspirin monotherapy (AM) in mild-to-moderate acute ischemic stroke considering the risk of recurrent stroke using the Stroke Prognosis Instrument II (SPI-II) score. METHODS:This study is a retrospective analysis of data from a prospective, nationwide, multicenter stroke registry database between January 2011 and July 2018. We included patients with mild-to-moderate (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score ≤10), acute (within 24 hours of onset), noncardioembolic ischemic stroke. The primary outcome was a 3-month composite of stroke (either hemorrhagic or ischemic), myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality. Propensity scores using the inverse probability of treatment weighting method were used to mitigate baseline imbalances between the DAPT and AM groups and within each subgroup considering SPI-II scores. RESULTS:Among the 15 430 patients (age, 66±13 years; men, 62.0%), 45.1% (n=6960) received DAPT and 54.9% (n=8470) received AM. Primary outcome events were significantly more frequent in the AM group (16.7%) than in the DAPT group (15.5%; =0.03). Weighted Cox proportional hazards models showed a reduced risk of 3-month primary vascular events in the DAPT group versus the AM group (hazard ratio, 0.84 [0.78-0.92]; <0.001), with no interaction between acute treatment type and SPI-II risk subgroups (=0.44). However, among the high-risk patients with SPI-II scores >7, a substantially larger absolute benefit was observed for 3-month composite vascular events in the DAPT group (weighted absolute risk differences, 5.4%), whereas smaller absolute benefits were observed among patients in the low- or medium-risk SPI-II subgroups (1.7% and 2.4%, respectively). CONCLUSIONS:Treatment with clopidogrel-aspirin was associated with a reduction in 3-month vascular events compared with AM in mild-to-moderate acute noncardioembolic ischemic stroke patients. Larger magnitudes of the effects of DAPT with clopidogrel-aspirin were observed in the high-risk subgroup by SPI-II risk scores. 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.119.006474