Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Drug-Eluting Stents Should Be Continued for More Than One Year and Preferably Indefinitely

Since its introduction, percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has been limited by 2 major factors: restenosis and vessel closure attributable to thrombosis. The use of coronary stents has had a marked beneficial impact on rates of restenosis.1,2 However, the vessel trauma that occurs during PCI induces platelet activation, and all currently available coronary stents are made of metal and are therefore thrombogenic. The use of drug-eluting stents (DES) can reduce restenosis and target vessel revascularization by 70% compared with bare metal stents (BMS).3,4 However, the polymer coatings and other aspects of DES may result in increased thrombogenicity compared with BMS.5