Loading effect of 200 mg cilostazol on platelet inhibition in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

To date, most studies conducted on cilostazol have examined its effects as an agent of maintenance-dose therapy, but its loading effects on platelet inhibition have never been reported. This study aimed to determine the loading effects of 200 mg cilostazol in addition to aspirin and clopidogrel on platelet inhibition in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.Sixty consecutive patients undergoing coronary intervention were enrolled and assigned to receive 300 mg of aspirin and clopidogrel with or without 200 mg of cilostazol. All loading doses were given at least 3 hours before percutaneous coronary intervention and followed by dual or triple maintenance-dose therapy. Platelet function tests were performed just before and at 24 hours and 30 days after percutaneous coronary intervention by light transmittance aggregometry and VerifyNow® P2Y12 assay.There were no significant differences in baseline or angiographic characteristics between the 2 groups. The results of platelet function tests revealed that the adjunctive loading dose of 200 mg of cilostazol induced more potent platelet inhibition compared to a dual regimen at each time point. Cilostazol reduced the incidence of high post-treatment platelet reactivity (HPPR).Adjunctive 200 mg cilostazol can improve platelet responsiveness to clopidogrel in the pre- and postprocedural phases, reducing the prevalence of HPPR.