Late coronary stent thrombosis and clopidogrel

: The existence of late coronary stent thrombosis is a topical issue in cardiology today. The synoptic article discusses current definition of the above phenomenon, its delimitation in time and actual incidence. Based on data from available observation and randomised studies, long-term safety of conventional bare metal and drug-eluting stents is evaluated, as well as the safety profile following implantation. The length of thienopyridin treatment after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) varies according to the type of stent used. While a conventional bare metal stent (BMS) implant provides long-term safety with one month treatment, the implantation of a drug-eluting stent (DES) should be complemented with a 12-month period of clopidogrel administration. This approach may be in the future influenced by further progress in drug-eluting stents development and by prospectively acquired information on long-term administration of clopidogrel to such patients.