ONSET and OFFSET of Ticagrelor in ESRD

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a strong risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and confers an increasing risk of stent thrombosis even when dual antiplatelet therapy (clopidogrel and aspirin) is administered. Recently, we demonstrated that patients with severe CKD or end stage renal disease (ESRD) on hemodialysis (HD) exhibited higher platelet reactivity to clopidogrel than did those with normal renal function. One of good option to overcome high platelet reactivity in ESRD patients would be ticagrelor which has been already shown improved clinical outcomes. But little is known the antiplatelet effects of ticagrelor in ESRD patients on HD. The present study was designed to determine the antiplatelet effect as well as the onset and offset action of ticagrelor compared with clopidogrel in patients with ESRD undergoing maintenance HD.

Inclusion criteria

• ESRD patients undergoing regular (≥ 6 months) maintenance HD
• ongoing (≥ 2 months) treatment with clopidogrel
• P2Y12 reaction units (PRUs) were more than 235

Exclusion criteria

• known allergies to aspirin, clopidogrel, or ticagrelor
• concomitant use of other antithrombotic drugs (oral anticoagulants, dipyridamole)
• thrombocytopenia (platelet count <100,000/mm3)
• hematocrit <25%
• uncontrolled hyperglycemia (hemoglobin A1c >10%)
• liver disease (bilirubin level >2 mg/dl)
• symptomatic severe pulmonary disease
• active bleeding or bleeding diathesis
• gastrointestinal bleeding within the last 6 months
• hemodynamic instability
• acute coronary or cerebrovascular event within the last 3 months
• pregnancy
• any malignancy
• concomitant use of a cytochrome P450 inhibitor or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug
• recent treatment (<30 days) with a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist