- Kim, Joon-Tae;
- Lee, Ji;
- Kim, Hyunsoo;
- Kim, Beom;
- Lee, Keon-Joo;
- Park, Jong-Moo;
- Kang, Kyusik;
- Lee, Soo;
- Kim, Jae;
- Cha, Jae-Kwan;
- Kim, Dae-Hyun;
- Park, Tai;
- Lee, Kyungbok;
- Lee, Jun;
- Hong, Keun-Sik;
- Cho, Yong-Jin;
- Park, Hong-Kyun;
- Lee, Byung-Chul;
- Yu, Kyung-Ho;
- Oh, Mi;
- Kim, Dong-Eog;
- Choi, Jay;
- Kwon, Jee-Hyun;
- Kim, Wook-Joo;
- Shin, Dong-Ick;
- Yum, Kyu;
- Sohn, Sung;
- Hong, Jeong-Ho;
- Lee, Sang-Hwa;
- Park, Man-Seok;
- Ryu, Wi-Sun;
- Park, Kwang-Yeol;
- Lee, Juneyoung;
- Saver, Jeffrey;
- Bae, Hee-Joon
BACKGROUND: Recent clinical trials established the benefit of dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel (DAPT-AC) in early-presenting patients with minor ischemic stroke. However, the impact of these trials over time on the use and outcomes of DAPT-AC among the patients with nonminor or late-presenting stroke who do not meet the eligibility criteria of these trials has not been delineated. METHODS AND RESULTS: In a multicenter stroke registry, this study examined yearly changes from April 2008 to August 2022 in DAPT-AC use for stroke patients ineligible for CHANCE/POINT (Clopidogrel in High-Risk Patients with Acute Nondisabling Cerebrovascular Events/Platelet-Oriented Inhibition in New TIA and Minor Ischemic Stroke) clinical trials due to National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale >4 or late arrival beyond 24 hours of onset. A total of 32 118 patients (age, 68.1±13.1 years; male, 58.5%) with National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale of 4 (interquartile range, 1-7) were analyzed. In 2008, DAPT-AC was used in 33.0%, other antiplatelets in 62.7%, and no antiplatelet in 4.3%. The frequency of DAPT-AC was relatively unchanged through 2013, when the CHANCE trial was published, and then increased steadily, reaching 78% in 2022, while other antiplatelets decreased to 17.8% in 2022 (Ptrend<0.001). From 2011 to 2022, clinical outcomes nonsignificantly improved, with an average relative risk reduction of 2%/y for the composite of stroke, myocardial infarction, and all-cause mortality, both among patients treated with DAPT-AC and patients treated with other antiplatelets. CONCLUSIONS: Use of DAPT-AC in stroke patients with stroke ineligible for recent DAPT clinical trials increased markedly and steadily after CHANCE publication in 2013, reaching deployment in nearly 4 of every 5 patients by 2022. The secondary prevention in patients with ischemic stroke seems to be gradually improving, possibly due to the enhancement of risk factor control.