Periprocedural Outcomes According to Timing of Clopidogrel Loading Dose in Patients Who Did Not Receive P2Y12 Inhibitor Pretreatment

Background: In patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), who did not receive P2Y12 inhibitor pretreatment, the optimal timing of P2Y12 inhibitor loading dose remains debated. We sought to examine whether the choice of administration of the clopidogrel loading dose before or after the start of PCI had an impact on periprocedural complications, including bleeding. Methods and Results: The CHAMPION PHOENIX (A Clinical Trial Comparing Cangrelor to Clopidogrel Standard Therapy in Subjects Who Require Percutaneous Coronary Intervention) double-blind randomized trial compared cangrelor with clopidogrel loading dose at the time of PCI. Pretreatment with clopidogrel before randomization was not permitted per protocol. In the clopidogrel-only group (n=5438), a loading dose was given before (early load [EL]) or after the start of PCI (late load [LL]) according to physician choice. Overall, 3442 (63.3%) patients had EL and 1997 LL (36.7%). Median times were 5 minutes before and 20 minutes after th...