Nijenhuis VJ, et al. – In this study, researches assessed the impact of preprocedural clopidogrel loading dose (LD) vs no LD (NLD) on 48-hour and 30-day clinical outcomes following transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI). The study sample consisted of 802 patients with severe aortic stenosis undergoing transfemoral TAVI. Participants were randomized to intra-procedural anticoagulation with bivalirudin or unfractionated heparin. A total of 294 patients (36.6%) received clopidogrel LD before TAVI and 508 were NLD (63.4%). A self-expandable prosthesis using larger sheaths was more often received by LD patients. In patients with LD vs NLD, similar P2Y₁₂-inhibitor maintenance therapy pre-TAVI was noted (28.2% vs 33.1%). Overall, clopidogrel LD was not superior to NLD in terms of benefits on early ischemic outcomes, but it was not associated with a higher risk of bleeding or vascular complications. Therefore, use of clopidogrel LD may safely be waived in patients undergoing TAVI.