Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Duration in Patients With Drug-Eluting Stents

Complications seen with percutaneous coronary intervention led to the development of bare metal stents and, later, drug-eluting stents. To prevent progressive atherosclerosis in the case of drug-eluting stents, current guidelines suggest a course of dual antiplatelet therapy for 12 months. Results from recent trials that analyzed outcomes of altering this duration of therapy suggest that, in comparison with second-generation drug-eluting stents, the extension of dual antiplatelet therapy in patients with first-generation drug-eluting stents shows benefits. Clinical decision making should also take into account the similarity in mortality rates between both types of drug-eluting stents and the increased risk of bleeding associated with extension of therapy.