PRU Guided CABG for Coronary Artery Disease (CABG-TIME Trial)

The administration of Ticagrelor have demonstrated superiority to Clopidogrel in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and remains a first line therapy as an adjunct to aspirin for patients admitted with ACS. The patient population treated with Ticagrelor at an early time point includes non ST elevation myocardial (NSTEMI) patients and those undergoing primary angioplasty for ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). It is estimated that 10-15% of patients presenting with ACS have advanced coronary artery disease requiring Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery (CABG). The treatment guidelines recommend a delay of 5-7 days for CABG surgery in these patients for normalization of Ticagrelor induced platelet inhibition to reduce the risk of peri-operative bleeding. This delay may expose these high risk patients to adverse cardiac events while waiting for Ticagrelor effect to wean off. Furthermore, this empirical application of 5-7 day delay in all patients may be unnecessary due to the significant inter individual variability in response to Ticagrelor. There is limited data to determine the optimum timing of CABG surgery in ACS patients treated with Ticagrelor. The present study will determine the optimum timing of CABG in ACS patients treated with a loading and/or maintenance dose of Ticagrelor.