Anticoagulant + antiplatelet agents in patients with atrial fibrillation and coronary stenting

In which patients with atrial fibrillation and coronary stenting should we consider continuing treatment with an oral anticoagulant plus an antiplatelet agent (aspirin or clopidogrel) after the 12-month mark following the procedure?

Mark Crowther: That is another difficult-to-answer question. Again, there is research that will be completed in the next 24 to 36 months which will address this. But again, if you look at the European Society of Cardiology guidelines, they generally recommend that the antiplatelet agent be stopped and the anticoagulant be continued beyond 12 months. In patients who have atrial fibrillation and have coronary stenting, they do not recommend the continuation of an antiplatelet agent for most patients beyond 12 months.