Balancing Antiplatelet and Anticoagulant Therapies in Patients with Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

Anticoagulation is needed for stroke prevention in patients with atrial fibrillation. Antiplatelet therapy is essential for the prevention of stent thrombosis and the reduction of cardiovascular events in patients who undergo coronary stenting and suffer acute coronary syndromes. When these conditions overlap, the individual antithrombotic strategies are commonly combined, and the efficacy benefit of triple oral antithrombotic therapy is assumed to outweigh the bleeding risk based on the available data. Recent studies have investigated this topic further, including the first randomized controlled trial to address this issue. This new evidence challenges previous assumptions and may have implications for future practice and investigation. © 2013 The Author(s).