Optimal antiplatelet therapy for patients after antiplatelet therapy induced gastrointestinal bleeding: timing

Adjusting antiplatelet strategies after antiplatelet-associated gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) is a complex clinical challenge. To assess the risk of outcomes at different times of resumption of antiplatelet therapy in an attempt to find the optimal time to resume therapy. The study analyzed consecutive patients with antiplatelet-associated GIB from Beijing Friendship Hospital Information System between October 2019 and June 2022. The primary outcomes were recurrent bleeding, major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (MACE), and all-cause death. Multivariate-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to evaluate the risks of these outcomes. The receiver operating characteristic curve was used to find the optimal time to resume treatment. Of the 617 patients with GIB after antiplatelet therapy successfully followed up, the median follow-up was 246 (interquartile range: 120-466) days, most patients (87.36%) interrupted therapy after GIB and 45.22% resumed within 90 days, of which 35.13% resumed within 7 days and 64.87% resumed after 7 days. Resumption therapy had a low risk of recurrent bleeding (uninterrupted as a reference: HR 0.32, 95% CI 0.15-0.67, p = 0.003), MACE (no resumption as a reference: HR 0.66, 95% CI 0.45-0.98, p = 0.037), and all-cause death (no resumption as a reference: HR 0.18, 95% CI 0.08-0.40, p < 0.001). And resuming therapy within 7 days had a lower risk of MACE (HR 0.18, 95% CI 0.08-0.44, p < 0.001) than after 7 days without a significantly higher risk of re-bleeding. The optimal time point for resuming therapy in this study was 8.5 days. Resuming antiplatelet therapy after GIB provides better clinical benefits compared to discontinued and uninterrupted therapy, especially compared with resuming after 7 days, resuming within 7 days is associated with a lower risk of MACE and a less significant increased risk of recurrent bleeding, leading to a higher net clinical benefit. China Clinical Trial Registration: ChiCTR2200064063.