Clinical Research Directory

RELEASE - Reconsidering Long-Term Aspirin in the Elderly Patients With Stable Ischemic Heart Disease: A Randomized Non-Inferiority Trial

RELEASE is a national, randomized, registry-based trial including 7,000 participants in Denmark. The trial aims to determine whether discontinuation of long-term aspirin therapy is non-inferior to continued aspirin therapy in older adults with stable ischemic heart disease. Long-term aspirin therapy is recommended for patients with established ischemic heart disease. However, among clinically stable patients years after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), or myocardial infarction (MI), the evidence supporting lifelong aspirin therapy is limited. At the same time, the risk of serious bleeding increases with age. RELEASE will therefore compare aspirin discontinuation with continued aspirin therapy in adults aged 65 years or older with stable ischemic heart disease who have remained free from ischemic events for at least two years. The trial will assess whether discontinuing aspirin is non-inferior to continued treatment with respect to cardiovascular and bleeding outcomes.