title: Adequate time in therapeutic INR range using triple antithrombotic therapy is not associated with long-term cardiovascular events and major bleeding complications after drug-eluting stent implantation.
abstract: Triple antithrombotic therapy increases the risk of bleeding events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared with dual anti-platelet therapy (DAPT). However, whether warfarin control is associated with reduced cardiovascular events and major bleeding events in patients undergoing PCI with triple antithrombotic therapy is uncertain.
  
  
  
  We investigated 1207 consecutive patients who underwent PCI between 2004 and 2011. Major bleeding complications and major adverse cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) defined as all-cause death, acute coronary syndrome, target vessel revascularization, and stroke were compared between groups of patients who received either triple antithrombotic therapy or DAPT.
  
  
  
  Triple antithrombotic therapy was administered to 95 (7.9%) patients. The mean international normalized ratio of prothrombin time (PT-INR) was 1.8. The target PT-INR level was set between 1.6 and 2.6 and the ratio (%) of time in the therapeutic range (TTR) was calculated. The median TTR was 78.4% (interquartile range, 67.4-87.6%). Kaplan-Meier survival curves showed that warfarin therapy was not associated with MACCE (p=0.89) and major bleeding (p=0.80). Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that triple antithrombotic therapy was not an independent predictor of MACCE and major bleeding.
  
  
  
  Triple antithrombotic therapy does not increase the occurrence of MACCE and major bleeding complications, if the warfarin dose is tightly controlled with a lower INR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Konishi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan. Electronic address: ktmmy@juntendo.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Katsumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miyauchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Takatoshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kasai
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shuta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuboi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ogita
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Naito
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Tomotaka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dohi
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tamura
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Juntendo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Daida
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology; D000368:Aged; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000601:surgery; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D054855:Drug-Eluting Stents; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D019934:International Normalized Ratio; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D009204:Myocardial Revascularization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D062645:Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011517:Prothrombin Time; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology; D014859:Warfarin / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D014859:Warfarin
keywords: Bleeding complication; International normalized ratio of prothrombin time; Time in the therapeutic range; Triple antithrombotic therapy