FAQ: One-Month vs. Year-Long Clot Prevention Therapy After Stent Placement in AFib Patients
TL;DR
Patients can gain a treatment advantage with reduced bleeding risk while maintaining stroke and heart attack prevention effectiveness using the one-month dual therapy approach.
The OPTIMA-AF trial compared one-month versus twelve-month dual antithrombotic therapy for AFib patients with stents, finding equal efficacy but significantly reduced bleeding complications.
This simplified treatment regimen improves patient quality of life by reducing bleeding complications while maintaining protection against strokes and heart attacks.
A groundbreaking study reveals that just one month of dual clot-preventing therapy works as well as a full year for AFib patients with stents.
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A one-month course of dual clot-preventing therapy followed by single medication therapy was as effective as one year of continuous dual therapy for preventing stroke, heart attack, and death in adults with atrial fibrillation who received a coronary stent.
This is the first study to suggest the one-month strategy is as safe and effective as the standard year-long regimen while reducing bleeding problems associated with dual clot-preventing medications.
The dual therapy includes a direct oral anticoagulant (such as dabigatran, rivaroxaban, apixaban, or edoxaban) to prevent strokes and a P2Y12 inhibitor (such as clopidogrel or prasugrel) to prevent clots in the stent.
Participants treated with the one-month regimen experienced fewer bleeding problems than those in the year-long dual-treatment group, making it a safer option.
The OPTIMA-AF trial was conducted by researchers including Dr. Yohei Sotomi from University of Osaka Graduate School of Medicine in Japan and presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2025 in New Orleans.
Standard treatment after stent implantation is a prescription for two clot-preventing medications for one year, though these medications can increase the risk of serious bleeding.
Researchers studied more than 1,000 adults in Japan who had atrial fibrillation and received a stent in a heart artery.
This study is a research abstract presented at a scientific meeting and is not yet peer-reviewed; the findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
The one-month strategy offers real-world benefits by providing equally safe and effective clot prevention while reducing bleeding risk associated with longer dual medication use.
Previous studies confirmed that using two anti-clotting agents instead of three reduced bleeding, but this is the first study to test whether the duration of dual therapy could be safely shortened to just one month.
Curated from NewMediaWire
