Time-Varying Effects of Prasugrel Versus Clopidogrel on the Long-Term Risks of Stroke After Acute Coronary Syndromes: Results From the TRILOGY ACS Trial.

Background and Purpose—The role of more intense, sustained platelet inhibition in preventing stroke after acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is unclear. We observed a signal for reduced stroke risk in the Targeted Platelet Inhibition to Clarify the Optimal Strategy to Medically Manage Acute Coronary Syndromes (TRILOGY ACS) trial after 12 months of treatment with prasugrel versus clopidogrel in medically managed patients with ACS. Methods—We examined 7243 patients with ACS, aged <75 years and without prior stroke, analyzing differences in baseline characteristics between patients with and without a stroke event through 30 months with a Cox proportional hazards model. We also assessed the effect of prasugrel versus clopidogrel (plus aspirin) on risk of all stroke events and ischemic stroke over time with an extended Cox proportional hazards model. Results—Stroke events were infrequent through 30 months (ischemic stroke=62; hemorrhagic stroke=15). Patients with stroke were older, had more comorbidities, and had a...