Commentary: Prevention of saphenous vein graft disease remains elusive

J Card Surg. 2022 Mar;37(3):571-573. doi: 10.1111/jocs.16192. Epub 2022 Jan 3.

Abstract

One-year outcomes of Ticagrelor Antiplatelet Therapy to Reduce Graft Events and Thrombosis (TARGET), a randomized double-blinded clinical trial comparing post-coronary artery bypass surgery antiplatelet therapy with ticagrelor versus aspirin are published in this issue of the Journal. Although the authors did not detect statistically significant differences in their primary outcome (saphenous vein graft patency at 1 year) and major adverse cardiovascular events, their findings must be interpreted with caution given important limitations in the design and execution of the trial.

Keywords: antiplatelet agents; aspirin; clinical trial; coronary artery bypass grafting; coronary artery disease; ticagrelor.

Publication types

  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Aspirin
  • Graft Occlusion, Vascular / prevention & control
  • Humans
  • Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors*
  • Saphenous Vein*
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Vascular Patency

Substances

  • Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors
  • Aspirin