Ticagrelor use in patients after percutaneous coronary intervention: one year follow up in a community hospital.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines from American College of Cardiology (ACC) recommend ticagrelor over clopidogrel in patients with acute coronary syndrome. We have observed many patients being switched from ticagrelor to clopidogrel after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in our hospital. Our goal is to evaluate the use rate of ticagrelor and categorize the reasons for non-use. METHODS: We performed a retrospective data analysis of all patients who underwent PCI at Unity Hospital of Rochester, New York, from January 2019 to January 2020. A total of 330 patients underwent PCI for ACS over the year. After exclusions, 277 patients were enrolled in the analysis. RESULTS: Of the 277 patients, 179 (65%) completed one year of ticagrelor therapy, and 98 (35%) stopped ticagrelor and transitioned to clopidogrel. The most common reason for switching from ticagrelor was dyspnea (42 patients), followed by cost concerns (41 patients). CONCLUSION: At our community hospital, completion of one-year use of ticagrelor post-PCI occurred in 65% of patients. The most common reasons for discontinuation are dyspnea and medication cost.