Introduction:

With the use of first-generation drug-eluting stents, the risk of thrombosis is of 1.9% at 18 months, with consequences that are usually severe and are potentially fatal. Dual antiaggregation therapy, that prevents such effects, entails a bleeding risk that is increased according to its duration, therefore, trying to achieve a balance between risk and benefit is the key goal.

Objective:

To present current evidence of the optimal duration of dual antiaggregation therapy and to provide guidelines to establish the duration for patients.

Dual antiaggregation therapy seeks to avoid the risk of early thrombosis and to reduce coronary events not related to the initial one, specially in patients with high risk of cardiovascular events or late thrombosis. Short duration therapy can be a safer alternative than the standard of one year and without a difference in patients with low cardiovascular risk. Long duration antiaggregation therapy reduces the risk of stent thrombosis and coronary events, but can increase the risk of a clinically important bleeding.

Conclusions:

Until today literature does not allow to define an ideal time for dual antiaggregation therapy; this must be defined according to each particular case.

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