Prolonged dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stent implantation improves long-term prognosis for acute coronary syndrome: five-year results from a large cohort study.

BACKGROUND:To investigate the most appropriate dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) duration for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation in the largest cardiovascular center of China. METHODS:We enrolled 5,187 consecutive patients with ACS who received DES from January to December 2013. Patients were divided into four groups based on DAPT duration: standard DAPT group (11-13 months, nnnnRESULTS:Baseline characteristics were similar across the four groups. Among the four groups, those with prolonged DAPT (18-24 months) had the lowest incidence of major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACCEs) (14.1% vs. 11.7% vs. 9.6% vs. 24.2%, PPPPPHRCIPHRCIPHRCIPHRCIPHRCIPCONCLUSION:For patients with ACS after DES, appropriately prolonging the DAPT duration may be associated with a reduced risk of adverse ischemic events without increasing the bleeding risk.