ACC/AHA Versus ESC Guidelines on Dual Antiplatelet Therapy: JACC Guideline Comparison

Abstract

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is the cornerstone of pharmacological treatment aimed at preventing the atherothrombotic complications in patients with a variety of coronary artery disease (CAD) manifestations. Prescribers of DAPT are confronted with a number of challenges that include selecting the appropriate P2Y₁₂ inhibitor and determining the optimal duration of DAPT with the scope of minimizing the risk of ischemic and bleeding complications in light of each patient's clinical characteristic and circumstance. Recently, a guideline writing committee from the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) and a task force from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) released their respective focused update recommendations on "Duration of DAPT in Patients with CAD" (ACC/AHA) and "DAPT in CAD" (ESC). This paper aims to review the ACC/AHA and ESC updates for DAPT to delineate common domains, consistent messages, and differences in recommended management strategies across the Atlantic.

Keywords: antiplatelet; bleeding; stent; thrombosis.