Supporting evidence from optical coherence tomography for shortening dual antiplatelet therapy after drug-eluting stents implantation. [Review] 

 -  2020 
<br/><br/> Introduction: Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is required for coronary artery disease treated with drug-eluting stents (DES) implantation. Shortening DAPT duration would be beneficial for patients with high bleeding risk. Areas covered: Early healing patterns, especially stent strut coverage, assessed by optical coherence tomography (OCT) as a surrogate of neointima have been investigated to make decisions on whether short DAPT would be a safe alternative. This review evaluates the OCT evidence (i.e. neointimal coverage of stent struts within 3 months) for shortening DAPT duration after DES implantation. Expert commentary: Shortening DAPT (i.e. within 3 months) duration after DES implantation might reduce complications including bleeding without increasing stent thrombosis. However, the optimal duration of DAPT after DES implantation is under discussion. Long-term assessment of short DAPT is required for the decision of the new guidelines regarding the recommended duration of DAPT. 
<br/><br/><br/>English 
<br/><br/><label>ISSN: </label>1477-9072 
<br/><br/><label>Standard No.: </label>10.1080/14779072.2020.1759421 [doi] 
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Topical Terms: </label><br/>*Drug-Eluting Stents<br/>*Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/ad [Administration & Dosage]<br/>*Tomography, Optical Coherence/mt [Methods]<br/>Coronary Artery Disease/th [Therapy]<br/>Hemorrhage/ci [Chemically Induced]<br/>Humans<br/>Neointima<br/>Thrombosis/et [Etiology]<br/>Treatment Outcome
<br/><br/><label>Subjects--Geographic Terms: </label><br/>MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute
<br/><br/><label>Index Terms--Function: </label><br/>Journal Article