Anaesthesia in patients with drug-eluting stents

The management of patients with recent coronary artery stents presenting for noncardiac surgery has become a major topic of interest and concern for all perioperative caregivers. This review will update recent reports and particularly new guidelines as well as recommendations.

Based on the available literature all experts recommend avoiding premature discontinuation of antiplatelet drug therapy if possible except for a few surgical procedures. Drug-eluting stents obviously carry more risks than bare-metal stents.

Anaesthesiologists may understand the specific problem of drug-eluting stents, the recent debate among cardiologists and the implications for the perioperative scenario.