Antithrombotic therapy for atrial fibrillation patients undergoing percutaneous coronary stent implantation

About 20% to 30% of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) have coronary heart disease, of which at least 5% to 7% undergo coronary stenting. Anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy are required for patients with AF undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and stenting (PCI-S). The balance between reducing the risk of thromboembolic events and bleeding is the key point for therapeutic decision making in these patients. Nowadays, several clinical trials have presented dual therapy with OAC and clopidogrel may be an alternative to triple therapy in patients with AF and acute coronary syndrome and/or coronary intervention, but due to insufficient sample size, clinical decision making and personal antithrombotic regimens are not yet supported. It remains challenging to find the best therapy for persistent or permanent AF patients after PCI-S. Key words: Atrial fibrillation; Coronary artery disease; Anticoagulants; Platelet aggregation inhibitors; Warfarin