title: Continuation of dual anti-platelet therapy after drug-eluting stents in primary angioplasty beyond 12 months.
abstract: In this correspondence we discuss the results of the meta-analysis by De Luca et al. (2012) in the Archives of Internal Medicine which found that late myocardial reinfarction and stent thrombosis is more common in drug-eluting stents than in bare-metal stents. We discuss the clinical implications of this paper for dual anti-platelet therapy which did not receive sufficient attention in the original publication and the accompanying editorial.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Plymouth, PL6 8DH, UK.
authors.forename: Iman
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mohasseb
authors.affiliation: PenCLAHRC, National Institute for Health Research, Peninsula Medical School, Plymouth, PL4 8AA, UK ; The Wesley Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD 4066, Australia.
authors.forename: Christian A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gericke