Benefits and Risks of Clopidogrel vs. Aspirin Monotherapy after Recent Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Table 1

Study inclusion and exclusion criteria in PICOTSS format.

Population	(i) Patients with recent ischemic stroke within the previous year
	(ii) Subgroup data for ischemic stroke patients in studies with mixed stroke/TIA populations
Interventions	Clopidogrel monotherapy (any dosage) for at least four weeks
Comparators	Aspirin monotherapy (any dosage) for at least four weeks
Outcomes	Efficacy outcomes
	(i) MACCE
	(a) Defined as any composite outcomes that included two or more of the following: recurrent stroke, myocardial infarction, unstable angina, coronary revascularization, aortic aneurysm rupture, peripheral artery disease, vascular death and sudden death
	(ii) Recurrent stroke (ischemic and hemorrhagic)
	(iii) Recurrent ischemic stroke
	(iv) Mortality
	Safety outcome
	(i) Bleeding risk
	(a) Intracranial
	(b) Gastrointestinal
	(c) Any reported
Timing	Minimum study duration/follow-up of at least four weeks (one month)
Setting	No restriction
Study design	(i) Randomized controlled trials
	(ii) Comparative observational studies

MACCE: major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events; TIA: transient ischemic attack.