Antiplatelet therapy after coronary artery bypass surgery: five year follow-up of randomised DACAB trial.

Name: Αlpha¹ Rigor Record — Antiplatelet therapy after coronary artery bypass surgery: five year follow-up of randomised DACAB trial.
Item: Antiplatelet therapy after coronary artery bypass surgery: five year follow-up of randomised DACAB trial.
Rating: 96
Author: Αlpha¹

Zhu Y, Zhang W, Dimagli A, Han L, Cheng Z, Mei J, Chen X, Wang X, Zhou Y, Xue Q, Hu J, Tang M, Wang R, Song Y, Kang L, Redfors B, Gaudino M, Zhao Q

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Αlpha¹ Rigor Review — 4.25★ (Strong), 0 critical, 2 high issues for “Antiplatelet therapy after coronary artery bypass surgery: five year follow-up of randomised DACAB trial.”

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Αlpha¹ Editorial

This rigor review was examined and confirmed by Αlpha¹ Editorial · August 16, 2026

Αlpha¹ Rigor Review

Rigor Reviewed

4.25 / 5

Strong — minor issues to address

Interventional Study

Critical

High-priority

How this rating was calculated▸

Started at 5★ — deductions

IntegrityIntegrity concern−0.5★
ReportingData & code availability partially met−0.25★

Model-reported confidence: highReviewer agreement: highEngine: 7.39.0Source: full text

Not verified in this report

No data or code availability links were detected to verify.

Problems surfaced3 types

Numerical inconsistencies1

Values that contradict each other or are impossible for the stated sample: recomputed p-values and test statistics, GRIM/GRIMMER checks on summary numbers, percentages against their own counts, totals against their parts, and estimates against their own confidence intervals.

Internal contradictions in the reported numbersAssessed

Overstated conclusions1

Conclusions that reach past what the paper's own results support — including a significance claim that no longer holds when the statistic is recomputed, and efficacy resting on an unvalidated surrogate endpoint.

Conclusions only partially backed by the presented evidenceAssessed

Reporting gaps1

Required detail the manuscript never states — study design, biological variables, ethics approval and consent, key resources, statistical reporting, data and code availability, and overall transparency.

Data/code availability incompleteAssessed

This Αlpha¹ Rigor Review uses AI Rigor Reviewers trained on a curated corpus of high-fidelity and retracted papers, with expert supervision and curation. It can still make mistakes; verify each finding against the source before relying on it.

This is a well-conducted and clearly reported five-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial, with strong methodology, ethical compliance, and transparent reporting. The main weakness is the absence of a data availability statement, which limits reproducibility. Minor copyedit issues and a few reporting gaps (e.g., no explicit reporting guideline) are present but do not undermine the scientific integrity.

Both reviewers classified the study as interventional, and I adopted that. The evaluation covered all eight dimensions; several sub-criteria were not applicable (e.g., animal housing, cell line authentication) due to the human clinical trial nature. The statistics verification covered only a subset of reported tests (6 of many), so the absence of flagged errors does not confirm all statistics.

4 major claims checked against the paper's own evidence: 1 only partially supported (evidence backs part of the claim; gaps or caveats remain); the rest adequately supported.

Efficacy claim is anchored to an adequate endpoint and a meaningful effect.

Recomputed 6 tests: 6 consistent, 0 inconsistent; 1 recomputed directly from the reported test statistics, 5 via agent-written checks.

1 integrity concern flagged (0 high).

Reporting

Eight Dimensions7 pass · 1 warn

The introduction cites prior randomized and observational studies suggesting dual antiplatelet therapy is more effective than aspirin monotherapy for vein graft patency, but notes inconclusive evidence on clinical outcomes. The rationale for the DACAB-FE study is clearly linked to the need to assess long-term clinical outcomes. Limitations of prior work are implicitly addressed by the design of the DACAB trial and the extended follow-up.

Sub-criteria

prior work citedADEQUATE

premise rationaleADEQUATE

limitations addressedADEQUATE

Per reviewer (2) — the votes behind the verdict

PASSReviewer 1· 90% conf

The paper establishes a clear scientific premise by citing prior research on antiplatelet therapy after CABG and the rationale for the extended follow-up.

Evidence

direct quote[Introduction, paragraph 1]

“Findings from randomised and observational studies suggest that dual antiplatelet therapy is more effective than aspirin monotherapy in preventing saphenous vein graft failure.”