Ticagrelor/Aspirin

This protocol describes a prospective, multi-center study intended to test the hypothesis that patients with STEMI caused by plaque rupture or plaque erosion without obstructive stenosis (diameter stenosis <70%) can be stabilized by effective antithrombotic treatment without stent implantation, thereby avoiding both early and late complications related to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stent implantation. All the patients will be followed by intracoronary OCT and physiological assessment at 1-month and 12-month follow-up.

Ticagrelor administered with Acetylsalicylic Acid (ASA) will provide better cerebral protection from microembolization in the cerebral circulation during Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (TAVI) and 30 days afterwards, than Clopidogrel plus ASA. This hypothesis will be investigated by measuring the number of High Intensity Transient Signals (HITS) as assessed with transcranial Doppler (TCD) on middle cerebral arteries.