What is the recommendation for dual-antiplatelet therapy before and after a PCI procedure?
Current guidelines recommend dual-antiplatelet therapy for 4 weeks in patients who are treated with bare metal stents and 1 year in patients who are treated with a drug-eluting stent, though it is recognized that this recom- mendation is in ux (4). It is therefore important that an assessment of tolerability of and adherence with long-term dual-antiplatelet therapy be made before the procedure and that the importance of dual-antiplatelet therapy be discussed with the patient before and after the procedure. Ideally, this discussion should be part of the informed consent process, and the intended duration of dual-antiplatelet therapy should be docu- mented clearly before the procedure.