The use of
prasugrel and
ticagrelor as part of dual antiplatelet
therapy is increasing in patients after
percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Accordingly, we aimed to evaluate their prescription patterns in the National Cardiovascular Data Registry (NCDR) Practice Innovation and Clinical Excellence (PINNACLE) registry. We analyzed patients enrolled in NCDR PINNACLE registry from January 2013 to March 2015 who underwent PCI with
drug-eluting stent and were prescribed dual antiplatelet
therapy. All patients received
aspirin. The primary study outcome was a 3-level variable denoting the second
antiplatelet agent prescribed: (1)
clopidogrel, (2)
prasugrel, or (3)
ticagrelor. Baseline characteristics were compared among the 3 groups. Odds ratios and 95% credible intervals were calculated from a nested hierarchical Bayesian logistic regression models to identify independent predictors of prescription of antiplatelet medications, incorporating practice and provider as random effects. Our study cohort consisted of 26,710 patients during our study period January 2013 to March 2015. Seventy nine percent of patients were prescribed
clopidogrel, 12%
prasugrel, and 11%
ticagrelor. Patients aged ≥75 years, women, history of tobacco use,
Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD),
hypertension, diabetes, previous vascular complication,
heart failure, and
stroke/
transient ischemic attack were more likely to be on
clopidogrel than
prasugrel or
ticagrelor. The relative percentages of
ticagrelor and
prasugrel were higher in patients with history of
myocardial infarction, compared with those without
myocardial infarction. In summary, our study highlights the prescription patterns associated with prescription of
antiplatelet agents after PCI. We found that both
ticagrelor and
prasugrel were mostly prescribed per the current practice guidelines, thus reflecting appropriate guideline adherence by practices in NCDR PINNACLE registry.