This systematic meta-analysis was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (16).
Data Sources
In order to compare the efficacy of Clopidogrel and Ticagrelor in patients with STEMI, a systematic review of published studies was conducted. For this purpose, the databases PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar Web of Science, and Embase Cochrane library clinical trials.gov were searched using the logical combination of keywords and their MeSH terms, including, Ticagrelor, Clopidogrel, ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, P2Y12 inhibitors, and antiplatelet therapy. This search was conducted until the end of June 2022.
Selection criteria and data extraction
Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) studies published in English and compared antiplatelet therapy with Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel in STEMI patients were included in this study. Studies whose full text was not available were excluded. In case of overlapping research data, such as information from the same RCT published in multiple articles, the most complete and up-to-date report was selected for inclusion in the meta-analysis. For further clarification, direct contact with authors was initiated for cases with either vague or incomplete information. In addition, an identical search strategy was adopted in other databases, and the key journals and reference lists of the presented articles were also searched. Finally, searches were combined using Endnote X5.
The following inclusion criteria were considered for the review of articles: 1) Randomized clinical trial studies (RCT), 2) Articles published in English or Farsi, whose full text was available, 3) Studies conducted on human subjects over 18 years of age and 4) Studies comparing antiplatelet treatment with Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel in STEMI patients. The inclusion criteria included the following: 1) studies that examined patients with comorbidity, 2) studies that provided incomplete information about the intended outcomes of the study, and 3) studies that had a design other than RCT and were written in a language other than Farsi or English.
The researchers extracted the information from the articles in Excel form. This information included the bibliographic information of the articles (title, authors, year of publication, country, TRIAL registry number), patient characteristics (sample size, age, sex ratio of each gender), study drug characteristics (dose, follow-up, number of patients in each arm of the study, loading dose and maintenance dose) and information about the outcomes of the study (mortality, stroke, MI, MACE, BARC, and TIMI Flow Grade).
Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events (MACE)
MACE is the sum of outcomes such as re-hospitalization due to heart failure (HF), total death, MI, revascularization including percutaneous interventions and surgical bypass grafts, and stroke. (17)
Bleeding academic research consortium (BARC) score
New advances in the treatment of ACS, including the prescription of dual antiplatelet therapies and anticoagulants simultaneously, as well as revascularization methods such as thrombolytics and invasive trans-arterial revascularization methods, have lowered the risk of mortality and many other adverse effects post-MI. However, they significantly increase the risk of major bleeding. To evaluate the safety of antithrombotic treatments in clinical trials regarding the risk of bleeding, academic research consortium (BARC) criteria were defined in February 2010. The BARC criteria divided the post-MI bleeding into 5 types, from type0: no bleeding to type:5 fetal bleeding. (18)
Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI)Flow Grade
Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) criteria is defined by the contrast flow rate assessed visually during coronary angiography before and after treatment, and it’s been proven to have prognostic information in post-MI patients. The criteria were first introduced in 1984 and consists of 3 stages: stage 0: no antegrade flow to stage 3: which shows normal flow distal to the coronary artery lesion. (19)
The Standard Cochrane Collaboration risk of bias tool checklist in Revman 5.3 software was used to evaluate the methodology of the included articles. Also, the GRADE (The Grading of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) tool was used to check the quality of the evidence obtained from the meta-analyzer. All steps of the search, selection of studies, data extraction, and quality assessment were carried out by two independent authors, and if there were any differences, they were resolved by discussion until reaching a consensus or by consulting the third author.
Statistical analysis
The number of occurrences for each outcome was extracted along with the sample size of the articles. I2 index and Q statistic were used to check the lack of homogeneity between studies. An I2 value greater than 50% was considered as the presence of inhomogeneity. Random effects model was used to combine studies, and the Risk Ratio was calculated. Funnel Plot and Egger's tests were used to check the publication bias. A probability value of less than 5 percent was considered a significant level. For data analysis, the meta package available in R software version 4.2.1 was used. The result of quality assessment has been shown in figure 2
Meta-analysis results:
Literature screening results
3416 relevant studies from Pub Med, Scopus, Google Scholar Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane library clinical trials.gov databases were investigated were preliminarily retrieved using keywords search.1138 studies were replicated studies. by reviewing titles and abstracts, 2006 articles were removed. in the next step, 261 articles were removed through full-text review. finally, 11 articles meet the criteria for inclusion in the present study. Figure 1
Basic characteristics of included studies and Quality assessment results
11 studies(20-31) were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. 5,274 participants in the ticagrelor group and 5295 participants in the clopidogrel group were examined(4, 6, 13, 24, 27, 32-37). 5 studies(21, 22, 24, 28, 31) were prospective, randomized, open-label, and 1 was(27) prospective, randomised, double-blind. 1 study(20) was prospective, randomized, parallel design. The mean (standard deviation) ages of patients in the ticagrelor group and the clopidogrel group were 58.84 years (2.70) and 59.92 years (3.19), respectively. 873 patients in the ticagrelor group (16.55%) and 882 patients in the clopidogrel group (16.65%) had diabetes. characteristics of the included studies are shown in Table 1. The result of quality assessment has been shown in figure 2
Mortality
In 6 studies deaths had been reported in two groups of patients. The number of patients in the Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel groups was 2,480 and 2,443, respectively. Also, the number of deaths observed in the Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel groups was 78 and 91, respectively. Based on the results of the meta-analysis, the risk ratio of death in the ticagrelor group was 0.86 more than that of the clopidogrel group, which was not statistically significant (RR=0.857, 95% CI = (0.637-1.153), z-value=-1.02, p-value= 0.31). The forest plot related to the combination of results is shown in figure 3.
Stroke
In 5 studies, stroke rates had been reported in two groups of patients. The number of patients in the Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel groups was 2,312 and 2,276, respectively. Also, the prevalence of stroke amongst the Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel groups was 29 and 36, respectively. Based on the results of the meta-analysis, the Risk Ratio for Stroke in the ticagrelor group was 0.83 more than that of the clopidogrel group, which was not statistically significant (RR=0.83, 95% CI = (0.508-1.348), z-value=-0.76, p-value =0.45). The forest plot related to the combination of results is shown in the figure 4.(38)
Recurrent myocardial infarction (MI)
In 6 studies, Recurrent MI was reported in two groups of patients. The number of patients in the Ticagrelor and clopidogrel groups was 2467 and 2470, respectively, and the number of recurrent MI observed in the Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel groups was 49 and 58, respectively. Based on the results of the meta-analysis, the Risk Ratio for MI in the Ticagrelor group was 0.68 more than that of the Clopidogrel group, which was not statistically significant (RR=0.68, 95% CI = (0.333-1.382), z-value=-1.07, p-value =0.28). The forest plot related to the combination of results is shown in figure 5.
MACE: Major Adverse Cardiovascular Events
In 4 studies, MACE was reported in two groups of patients. The number of patients in the ticagrelor and clopidogrel groups was 457 and 488, respectively. Also, the incidence of MACE observed in the Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel groups was 10 and 20, respectively. Based on the results of the meta-analysis, the Risk Ratio for MACE in the ticagrelor group was 0.63 more than that of the clopidogrel group, which was not statistically significant (RR=0.63, 95% CI = (0.226-1.75), z-value=-0.89, p-value =0.37). The forest plot related to the combination of results is shown in the figure 6.
Bleeding academic research consortium (BARC) criteria
In 7 studies, BARC scores were reported in two groups of patients. The number of patients in the Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel groups was 2,635 and 2,637, respectively, and the number of BARC scores equal and more than 3(BARC≥3), defined by overt bleeding causing hemoglobin drop or intracranial hemorrhage, observed in the Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel groups was 48 and 48, respectively. Based on the results of the meta-analysis, the Risk Ratio for BARC≥3 in the Ticagrelor group was 1.02 times more than that of the Clopidogrel group, which was not statistically significant (RR=1.02, 95% CI = (0.651-1.595), z-value=0.08, p-value= 0.93). The forest plot related to the combination of results is shown in the figure 7.
Thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI)Flow Grade
In 5 studies, TIMI Flow Grade was reported according to angiographic findings in two groups of patients. The number of patients in the Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel groups was 2,067 and 2,032, respectively. An increase in TIMI Flow Grade was reported in the 135 and 130 participants of the Ticagrelor and Clopidogrel groups. Based on the results of the meta-analysis, the Risk Ratio for an increase in the TIMI Flow Grade amongst the ticagrelor group was 1.02 more than that of the clopidogrel group, which was not statistically significant (RR=1.02, 95% CI = (0.86-1.201), z-value=0.19, p- value=0.85). The forest plot related to the combination of results is shown in the figure 8.
Publication Bias
To assess the publication bias and Egger test results, Funnel plots related to each of the results are shown in the figures 9. Egger's test was significant for MI outcomes, while the publication bias was not statistically significant for the rest of the studied outcomes.
GRADE results
GRADE results for evaluating the strength of the obtained evidence are shown in Table 2. Based on the GRADE approach, the pooled RR value for the outcomes of Mortality, MACE, BARC, and TIMI Flow Grade was graded as High in terms of the strength of the evidence. The pooled RR value for the MI outcome was graded as Moderate due to the fact that the publication bias in this outcome was uncertain.