Stroke trial findings published in the Lancet

Many congratulations to Professor Philip Bath, along with colleagues from our Stroke Trials Unit, Nottingham CTU, Radiological Sciences, Medical Sciences and Graduate Entry Medicine, and Rehabilitation and Ageing on the publication of the TARDIS trial in the Lancet: http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(17)32849-0.pdf

The study compared antiplatelet therapy with aspirin, clopidogrel, and dipyridamole versus clopidogrel alone or aspirin and dipyridamole in patients with acute cerebral ischaemia. Although the incidence and severity of recurrent stroke or TIA did not differ between the two arms, the intensive antiplatelet therapy arm was associated with more, and more severe, bleeding.

These important findings mean that triple antiplatelet therapy should not be used in routine clinical practice in patients with recent cerebral ischaemia.