The American journal of cardiology
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Review Meta Analysis
Meta-analysis of net long-term benefit of different therapeutic strategies in patients with cryptogenic stroke and patent foramen ovale.
We pooled available data on follow-up events in patients with patent foramen ovale and cryptogenic stroke to evaluate the net clinical benefit of different therapeutic strategies (percutaneous closure vs antiplatelet vs anticoagulant therapy). MEDLINE/PubMed and Cochrane databases and reviewed cited references to identify relevant studies were used; 3,311 patients from 21 clinical studies, both observational and randomized, with follow-up ≥12 months were overall included. ⋯ Patent foramen ovale closure was associated over the long term with significant net clinical benefit versus both antiplatelet and anticoagulant therapy; such benefit was driven by 50% relative reduction of stroke and/or transient ischemic attack versus antiplatelet therapy and by 82% relative reduction of major bleeding versus anticoagulant therapy. In conclusion, results of this large study-level meta-analysis may influence practice patterns in patients with patent foramen ovale and cryptogenic stroke; an individualized approach tailored on both the risk of recurrent cerebral events and the bleeding risk should be used to identify the best therapeutic option (percutaneous closure vs antiplatelet therapy vs anticoagulant therapy).
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The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) have recently updated their joint guidelines for the management of patients with non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTE-ACS, including unstable angina [UA] and non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction [NSTEMI]). These guidelines replace the 2007 guidelines and the focused updates from 2011 and 2012 and now combine UA and NSTEMI into a new classification, NSTE-ACS, and updating the terminology around noninvasive management to ischemia-guided strategy. ⋯ Also, where appropriate, similarities and differences between the current recommendations of the AHA/ACC and those of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) are highlighted. For example, the AHA/ACC recommends the P2Y12 inhibitor ticagrelor over clopidogrel in all patients with NSTE-ACS and clopidogrel, prasugrel, or ticagrelor for patients in whom percutaneous coronary intervention is planned, whereas the ESC guidelines specifically recommend individual P2Y12 inhibitors for particular patient subgroups.