Various antiplatelet drugs, such as clopidogrel and ticagrelor, are available on the market for use after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, the efficacy of such drugs in patients being managed with therapeutic hypothermia (TH) has always been debated. In light of this controversy, this systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to enhance existing literature. Various databases were searched for potentially relevant studies from inception to April 2023, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale for cohort studies and the Cochrane risk of bias tool for randomized controlled trials. Outcomes of interest included risk of bleeding, stent thrombosis, and all-cause mortality. Five studies were shortlisted for inclusion into the meta-analysis, featuring a total of 245 patients receiving either clopidogrel or ticagrelor. Overall, no significant differences were noted when the use of clopidogrel and ticagrelor was compared in PCI patients being managed with TH. To the best of our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive meta-analysis comparing the outcomes of clopidogrel and ticagrelor in PCI patients being managed with TH. Despite existing studies claiming an altered efficacy of clopidogrel in such conditions, our meta-analytic findings could not prove this relationship. Due to the limited sample size, further comprehensive and randomized studies are encouraged to arrive at a robust conclusion.
Keywords: clopidogrel; meta-analysis; percutaneous coronary intervention; therapeutic hypothermia; ticagrelor.