Recent Developments in Antiplatelet Therapy after Percutaneus Coronary Intervention

Antiplatelet therapy plays an important role in the treatment of patients suffering from acute coronary syndrome (ACS) or undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in order to prevent atherothrombotic events and restenosis or ischemic reocclusion, respectively. Moreover, stent implantation is often performed along with PCI to ensure that the arteries remain open. However, stent thrombosis ST is a possible complication which can occur up to about one year after the procedure. Therefore, it is standard to treat patients with a dual antiplatelet regime whereby aspirin is combined with either clopidogrel, prasugrel or ticagrelor. This review summarizes the characteristics of these P2Y12 antagonists and evaluates the current and future clinical guidelines for antiplatelet therapy in the setting of PCI with or without stenting.