A new online resource, which aims to streamline and summarise evidence relating to antiplatelet therapy in cardiovascular patients, has been launched.

The TARA Project will provide clinicians with real-time access to summarised data from a host of clinical trials relating to antiplatelet therapy. This will help guide the management of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for both acute and chronic coronary syndromes.

The project was launched by the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) Dublin, which is based at the Mater Private Hospital. It is being run in collaboration with the RCSI University of Medical and Health Sciences.

“Antiplatelet therapy has proven to be an important component in the management of patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. However, it can be challenging for clinicians to keep up to date with latest emerging evidence from the plethora of large-scale clinical trials that are published in this field,” commented CVRI Dublin lead, Prof Robert Byrne.

He explained that the TARA Project will “synthesise these clinical trials into an easily digestible summary format, providing timely scientific information that is relevant to the decisions that clinicians make on a daily basis”.

“This will allow clinicians to weigh up the risks and benefits of the current evidence-based antiplatelet therapy strategies, hopefully enabling them to achieve the best possible outcomes for their patients,” Prof Byrne noted.

The project includes over 50 trials defining the safest and most effective dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) strategies. These trials are further sub-categorised into one of five antiplatelet therapy research themes.

A timeline is provided for each research theme, with summaries of each included trial and links to full manuscript publications.

This free resource can be viewed here.