The risk of recurrence is greatest immediately after stroke or Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA). Existing prevention strategies (antithrombotic, lipid/blood pressure lowering, endarterectomy) reduce, not abolish, further events. Dual antiplatelet therapy - aspirin \& clopidogrel (AC) for IHD, aspirin \& dipyridamole (AD) for stroke, is superior to aspirin monotherapy. The investigators hypothesise that triple antiplatelet therapy (ACD) will be superior to AD in patients at high-risk of recurrence, providing bleeding does not become excessive. Design: TARDIS is a multicentre, parallel-group, prospective, randomised, open-label, blinded-endpoint, controlled trial. In the start-up phase, the investigators will assess over 3 years the safety, tolerability and feasibility of intensive therapy (ACD) versus guideline therapy (AD) given for 1 month in 750 patients with acute stroke/TIA. The main phase will then assess the safety and efficacy of ACD in up to 3500 patients. The primary outcome is ordinal stroke (fatal/severe non-fatal/mild/TIA/none) at 90 days. Secondary outcomes include death, MI, vascular events, function, bleeding, serious adverse events; sub-studies will assess cerebral emboli and platelet function.
2.1 Purpose To perform a randomised trial assessing the efficacy, safety and tolerability of intensive antiplatelet therapy (Asp+Dip+Clop) versus guideline antiplatelet therapy (Asp+Dip or Clop) in patients with recent ischaemic stroke or TIA and who are at high risk of recurrence. 2.2 Primary Objective To assess ordinal stroke severity at 90 days after short-term administration (1 month) of intensive antiplatelet therapy versus guideline therapy in patients with very recent ischaemic stroke or TIA. 2.3 Secondary Objectives 1. To assess the safety of short-term administration (1 month) of intensive antiplatelet therapy versus guideline therapy in patients with very recent ischaemic stroke or TIA. 2. To further assess, in high risk patients with stroke/TIA, whether: ii. it is feasible to administer intensive therapy acutely and is tolerable to take for 1 month, iii. intensive therapy is superior in respect of surrogate markers such as platelet function. iv. intensive therapy improves functional outcome
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
SINGLE
Enrollment
3,096
Participants in the intensive antiplatelet group will receive Asp+Dip+Clop triple therapy for 28-30 days (to cover the period of maximum risk of recurrence) along with standard 'best care' (including lifestyle advice, BP and lipid lowering). Clop will be given as a loading dose of 300 mg,12 then 75 mg daily, Asp as a loading dose of 300 mg,22 then 75 mg daily, and Dip modified release 200 mg twice daily 9 for 28-30 days.
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
Nottingham, United Kingdom
The primary outcome is ordinal stroke severity at 90 days
5-level ordinal stroke and TIA scale with stroke ordered by its severity using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS): fatal stroke / severe non-fatal stroke (mRS 2-5) / mild stroke (mRS 0,1) / TIA / no stroke-TIA, measured at 90 days.; this approach allows for smaller sample sizes compared to binary outcomes such as stroke/no stroke
Time frame: 90 days
Safety
Days 7 and 35 Full blood count by local investigator Days 7, 35 and 90: Ordinal bleeding (fatal/major/moderate/minor/none42) as adjudicated by an independent blinded panel; death; binary major bleeding (fatal, symptomatic, causing fall in haemoglobin of ≥2g/l, or leading to transfusion of ≥2 units of blood/red cells);45 binary minor bleeding (e.g. bruising) binary bleeding; all bleeding, symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage, major extracranial bleeding, binary serious adverse events, ordinal adverse events (fatal/serious/other/none42); thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura; granulocytopenia.
Time frame: 90 days
Serious adverse events
Time frame: 90 Days
Death
Time frame: 90 days
Platelet function.
Days 7 and 35 Full blood count by local investigator Days 7, 35 and 90: Ordinal bleeding (fatal/major/moderate/minor/none42) as adjudicated by an independent blinded panel; death; binary major bleeding (fatal, symptomatic, causing fall in haemoglobin of ≥2g/l, or leading to transfusion of ≥2 units of blood/red cells);45 binary minor bleeding (e.g. bruising) binary bleeding; all bleeding, symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage, major extracranial bleeding, binary serious adverse events, ordinal adverse events (fatal/serious/other/none42); thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura; granulocytopenia.
Time frame: 90 Days
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