Is clopidogrel safer than ticagrelor in regard to bleeds : a closer look at the PLATO trial?
Clopidogrel is safer than ticagrelor in regard to bleeding. Additionally, ticagrelor's purported faster antiplatelet 'offset' is substantially longer than its pharmacokinetics indicate. Considering the fact that the mortality, stent thrombosis and myocardial infarction 'benefit' of ticagrelor have recently been challenged, and that the increase in stroke on ticagrelor has recently been shown to be worse than originally published, the decision to use ticagrelor over clopidogrel in the face of a higher risk for bleeds is not advised.
Preprocedural CRP level, an easily measurable marker of acute phase response, is a powerful predictor of both early and late outcome in patients undergoing single vessel PTCA, suggesting that early complications and clinical restenosis are markedly influenced by the preprocedural degree of inflammatory cell activation.