After Cervical Artery Dissection, Early Anticoagulant Might Be Better
PHOENIX — Anticoagulation worked at least as well as antiplatelet medication for stroke prevention after cervical artery dissection, an observational study suggested. Subsequent ischemic stroke was numerically but not significantly less common with anticoagulation than with antiplatelet use in this population both at 30 days (adjusted HR 0.71, 95% CI 0.45-1.12) and 180 days (adjusted […]
DAPT Stays Helpful for Minor Stroke Even With Later Presentation, Worse Symptoms
The benefit of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for a minor ischemic stroke seems to apply outside the 24-hour time window and minimal stroke symptoms for which the treatment is currently recommended, based on results from the INSPIRES trial. Administered within 72 hours after onset of mild ischemic stroke or high-risk transient ischemic attack (TIA), the […]
Adenovirus May Trigger Thrombocytopenia, Thrombosis, Case Studies Suggest
In rare cases, symptomatic human adenovirus infection may trigger a life-threatening prothrombotic anti-platelet factor 4 (PF4) disorder resembling vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT), according to a report based on two patients. A 5-year-old boy and a 58-year-old woman based in the U.S. developed serious — and in the case of the boy, ultimately fatal — […]
Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Proves Mettle in Minor Stroke
DALLAS — Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) proved non-inferior to IV alteplase in Chinese patients with minor non-disabling stroke, a researcher reported. In the ARAMIS trial of patients with acute minor stroke who presented within 4.5 hours of onset, and had no “clearly disabling deficit,” functional outcome was similar between the two methods, according to Thanh […]
Early DAPT Improves Outcomes for Strokes With No Other Tx Options
DALLAS — Adding tirofiban (Aggrastat) to aspirin for dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) within 24 hours of acute ischemic stroke improved outcomes for patients who weren’t candidates for thrombolytic or endovascular treatment, according to a phase III trial from China. The combination of the glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor with aspirin shifted modified Rankin Scale (mRS) scores in […]
Short DAPT Just as Good for High-Bleeding Risk Stenting After MI
For high-bleeding risk patients, a shorter duration of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) appeared just as safe for those getting novel stent after acute myocardial infarction (MI) in the MASTER-DAPT trial. Stopping anticoagulant at 30 days didn’t yield significantly different outcomes whether patients had a prior MI or not, reported Pieter C. Smits, MD, PhD, of […]
One Month of DAPT Reasonable in Patients at High Bleeding Risk
Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for 1 month after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) lowered bleeding rates and was non-inferior for ischemic events compared with 3-month DAPT in patients at high bleeding risk, according to results of the MASTER DAPT trial. Among the 4,579 patients in the intention-to-treat (ITT) population, major or clinically relevant non-major bleeding occurred […]