- Peter Lanzer: Department of Internal Medicine, Hospitals and Clinics, Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Germany. planzer@gzbiwo.de
Compared to bare-metal stents (BMS), drug-eluting stents (DES) provide a significant additional reduction in restenosis rates and the need for coronary reinterventions. However, compared to BMS, the risk of very late stent thrombosis (ST) appears to be marginally higher accounting for 0.2-0.6% annual incidence for up to 3 years and possibly even longer following implantation. Risk reduction strategies include meticulous implantation technique, identification of patients with increased thrombotic risk, exclusion of patients scheduled in short term for major elective surgeries, and extended dual antithrombotic treatment for a minimum of 12 months. Future risk avoidance strategies are briefly reviewed and commented.