Safety and efficacy of single antiplatelet therapy in a large cohort of patients treated with sirolimus-coated balloon: Post hoc analysis from the prospective EASTBOURNE registry.

Background: Drug coated balloons (DCB) are potentially less thrombogenic than drug eluting stents (DES).

Aims: To explore the safety and the feasibility of single antiplatelet therapy in percutaneous coronary intervention with sirolimus-coated balloons.

Methods: The All-comers Sirolimus-coated Balloon European Registry (EASTBOURNE) is a prospective investigator-driven registry assessing the performance of a novel sirolimus-coated balloon (SCB) in a real-world population. This prespecified post hoc analysis aimed at comparing the outcome in patients prescribed either single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) or dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT); choice of antiplatelet agent and duration of the regimen were at operator's discretion in both groups. Primary endpoint was target lesion revascularization (TLR) at 12 months. Secondary endpoints were bleeding grade 3-5 according to The Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) criteria and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) at 12 months follow-up.

Results: Among 2123 patients enrolled in the study between September 2016 and November 2020, 113 patients (5.8 %) received SAPT while 1826 patients (94.1 %) received DAPT after SCB. The majority of the patients underwent DCB PCI for de novo lesions (n = 1091, 56.3 %) while 848 patients (47.7 %) had DCB revascularization for in-stent restenosis. No cases of TLR occurred in the SAPT group within one month after the index procedure, and no acute occlusive events were recorded during follow up in patients taking a single antiplatelet agent. Moreover, no differences in terms of TLR were observed between SAPT vs DAPT regimens nor in case of de novo treatment with an overall rate of TLR at 12 months of 7.7 % for SAPT and 5.6 % for DAPT (p = 0.6). The cumulative rate of MACE at 12 months was not different between SAPT and DAPT regimens (n = 12 [11.2 %] vs. n = 162 [8.9 %], p = 0.4), and results were consistent in the de novo and in-stent restenosis groups.

Conclusions: Our post hoc analysis of the EASTBOURNE registry suggests that the use of single antiplatelet agent after sirolimus-DCB PCI for both de novo or in-stent restenosis lesions is safe and effective and can help to contain the risk of bleeding in a selected population.

Condensed Abstract: The manuscript aims to explore the feasibility of a single antiplatelet regimen following angioplasty using drug coated balloon with sirolimus. Among 2123 patients treated with sirolimus coated balloon (SCB), 113 patients (5.8 %) received a single antiplatelet therapy (SAPT) while 1826 patients (94.1 %) received dual antiplatelet therapy DAPT. No cases of target lesion revascularization occurred in the SAPT group within one month after the index procedure, and no acute occlusive events were recorded during follow up in patients taking a single antiplatelet agent. The cumulative rate of major adverse cardiovascular events at 12 months was not different between SAPT and DAPT regimens and results were consistent in the de novo and in-stent restenosis groups.