Discharge of Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients on Sub-Optimal Dual Anti-Platelet Therapy: A Single Center Experience

To identify and quantify the reasons why acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients undergoing stenting at the University of New Mexico Hospital (UNMH) were prescribed sub-optimal dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) at discharge, and to identify practice patterns that could potentially lead to improved DAPT treatment for these patients. We reviewed electronic medical records and cardiac catheterization records of 326 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) at UNMH between January 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022 and identified 229 ACS patients who survived until discharge. Demographic and clinical characteristics relevant to P2Y12 inhibitor selection were obtained from a review of medical records. Pharmacists’ notes documenting their efforts to secure appropriate insurance coverage and reasons for discharging patients on clopidogrel rather than ticagrelor/prasugrel were reviewed. Patients discharged on aspirin and clopidogrel underwent review of medical records and cardiac catheterization lab records to determine if the discharge P2Y12 drug was appropriate. Reasons for inappropriate discharge on clopidogrel were categorized as cost/insurance, patient preference, concern for daily adherence to a twice-daily medication, and maintenance of pre-hospital clopidogrel therapy rather than switch to ticagrelor after PCI. The 229 ACS patients included 87 (38.0