Treatment Modifications in Acute Coronary Syndrome Patients Treated with Ticagrelor: Insights from the FORCE-ACS Registry.

Aims:  Patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) are frequently treated with the P2Y₁₂-inhibitor ticagrelor. Some patients prematurely discontinue ticagrelor, but the incidence of reasons for and clinical implications of treatment modification are relatively unknown.

Methods and results:  Data from 4,278 ACS patients (mean age: 63.6 years, 26.1% women) who were discharged on ticagrelor and enrolled in the FORCE-ACS registry between 2015 and 2020 were used. Treatment modifications were categorized as physician-recommended discontinuation, alteration, interruption, or disruption and occurred in 26.7, 20.1, 2.8, and 3.1% of patients within 12 months of follow-up (VISUAL SUMMARY: ). Underlying reasons for treatment modification differed per type of modification. Overall, the rate of ischemic events defined as all-cause death, myocardial infarction, or stroke was 6.6% at 12 months of follow-up. Cox regression analysis using time-updated modification variables as independent variables showed that treatment interruption (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 2.93, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.48-5.79, p < 0.01) and disruption (adjusted HR: 2.33, 95% CI: 1.07-5.07, p = 0.03) were associated with an increased risk of ischemic events even after adjustment for relevant confounders. Discontinuation and alteration were not associated with increased ischemic risk.

Conclusion:  In clinical practice, treatment modifications in ACS patients discharged on ticagrelor are common, although type and reasons for modification are heterogeneous. Treatment interruption and disruption are associated with excess cardiovascular risk.