Study of Optimal Clopidogrel Duration in Patients Receiving Drug Eluting Stents (SCORE Trial)
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2014-03-03
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Although the optimal duration of clopidogrel (an anti-platelet agent) therapy has been
established after bare metal stent implantation in the blood vessels of the heart, there is
lack of consensus regarding the optimal duration of therapy after implantation of a drug
eluting stents (DES). Current American College of Cardiology guidelines recommend clopidogrel
use for at least one year in the absence of contraindications after DES implantation, while
recognizing that the optimal duration remains unknown. While an extended clopidogrel therapy
(that is beyond the current 1 year recommendation) may increase bleeding complication, it may
reduce the rates of adverse cardiovascular events like heart attacks and repeat
revascularization procedures. A clinical trial which randomizes patients with an uneventful
one year course after a DES implantation, to an additional year of clopidogrel and aspirin
therapy versus aspirin alone, will be able to answer the important question about the role of
extended (2y) dual anti-platelet therapy with clopidogrel and aspirin after DES implants. The
investigators hypothesize that clopidogrel discontinuation at 1 year post-DES implantation is
associated with an increase in cardiovascular events during the one year of follow-up period.