PCORnet to Study Optimal Maintenance Aspirin Dose for People with Coronary Artery Disease

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) intends to support the first randomized comparative effectiveness research trail within Patient Centered Outcomes Research Network (PCORnet). MyApnea.Org is part of PCORnet and funded by PCORI.

The trial will investigate the optimal maintenance dose of aspirin for secondary prevention of coronary artery disease (CAD) events in patients with known CAD. The research topic was selected from a number of topics suggested by all of the networks within PCORnet.

Do you believe that The MyApnea.Org Network should join this study and would such a study be of interest to you?

Studies such as this are always interesting to me. Sleep apnea is being linked more and more with heart disease; among people with CAD are many with sleep apnea. This trial might be aimed at people with CAD but would also benefit those of us with OSA. By joining, what would be required of the MyApnea.Org network? That could be a factor in my final decision but I am definitely leaning towards joining the study.

Darrel,

I think with the high correlation between heart/coronary artery disease issues, and sleep apnea, that this would be worthwhile. One issue, would concern me though: patients with low tolerance for aspirin. A couple years ago, my primary physician recommended that I take low-dose aspirin since I have hypertension. Howsoever, I am also a proton pump inhibitor user, because of Barrett's Esophagus, and even low dose aspirin gave me fits. I have had to drop aspirin. Is something being done in the study design to take patience of this nature into account?

/s/ -hal

No... there have been several other potential research projects more specific to sleep apnea suggested in the forums elsewhere.

One big goal of the ASA trial is to identify side effects and who is most susceptible to these. They will be collecting medication histories as one of the factors they can test to see if meds like proton pump inhibitors influence risk of bleeding or other outcomes. We hope they will collect sleep apnea data so we can see if having sleep apnea influences whether low or high dose ASA is more effective/safer.

Definitely worthwhile