PHASE IV Study of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Versus Oral Anticoagulation for a Short Time to Prevent Cerebral Embolism After Percutaneous Aortic Valve Implantation. Multicenter Randomized Clinical Trial

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) procedure using any of their vascular access is an option with proven benefit definitively for treatment of severe symptomatic aortic stenosis in patients considered unsuitable for conventional open heart surgery.

By avoiding the hemodynamic effects, cardiovascular and cerebral microembolic load of cardiopulmonary bypass circulation, it is assumed that the TAVI procedure is beneficial despite the risk of neurological complications. Currently antithrombotic therapy after the procedure is not standardized. International treatment guidelines recommends that post-operative patients with a conventional surgical aortic bioprosthesis maintain oral anticoagulation for 3 months after the procedure, unless otherwise noted for its continuation. Whereas some studies have postulated that in patients with aortic bioprostheses, dual antiplatelet therapy is as effective to prevent major cardiac and cerebrovascular events as oral anticoagulation, with a lower incidence of bleeding complications at 3 months of treatment, the investigators formulated the following hypothesis:

• There is a lower incidence of major cardiac and cerebrovascular events in patients with dual antiplatelet therapy compared to patients with oral anticoagulation for 3 months after implantation of an aortic bioprosthesis TAVI procedure.