Background Stable coronary artery disease (CAD) is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. Few studies document the complete sequence of investigation of the overall stable CAD population during outpatient visits or hospitalisation. Aim To obtain accurate and up-to-date information on current management of patients with stable CAD. Methods START (STable coronary Artery diseases RegisTry) was a prospective, observational, nationwide study aimed at evaluating the presentation, management, treatment and quality of life of stable CAD patients presenting to cardiologists during outpatient visits or discharged from cardiology wards. Results Over a 3-month period, 5070 consecutive patients were enrolled in 183 participating centres: 72% managed by a cardiologist during outpatient or day hospital visits and 28% discharged from cardiology wards. The vast majority of patients (87%) received a coronary angiography (86% of patients managed during outpatient visits and 90% during hospitalisation; p < 0.0001). Outpatients more frequently received optimal medical therapy (OMT; i.e. aspirin or thienopyridine, β-blockers and statins) compared to hospitalised patients (70.2% vs 67.1%; p = 0.03). A personalised diet was prescribed in 58% (60.5% in outpatients and 52.9% in those admitted to hospitals; p < 0.0001), physical activity programmes were suggested in 65% (69.4% and 54.3%; p < 0.0001) and smoking cessation was recommended in 71% of currently smoking patients (73.2% and 65.2%; p = 0.02). Conclusions In this large, contemporary registry, patients with stable CAD discharged from cardiology wards more commonly underwent diagnostic imaging procedures and less frequently received OMT or lifestyle modification programmes compared to patients manged by cardiologists during outpatient visits.

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The hospital discharge is often poorly standardized and affected by discontinuity and fragmentation of care, putting patients at high risk of both post-discharge adverse events and early readmission. The present ANMCO document reviews the modifiable components of the hospital discharge process related to adverse events or re-hospitalizations and suggests the optimal methods for redesigning the whole discharge process. The key principles for proper hospital discharge or transfer of care acknowledge that the hospital discharge:• is not an isolated event, but a process that has to be planned as soon as possible after the admission, ensuring that the patient and the caregiver understand and contribute to the planned decisions, as equal partners;• is facilitated by a comprehensive systemic approach that begins with a multidimensional evaluation process;• must be organized by an operator who is responsible for the coordination of all phases of the hospital patient journey, involving afterward the general practitioner and transferring to them the information and responsibility at discharge;• is the result of an integrated multidisciplinary team approach;• appropriately uses the transitional and intermediate care services;• is carried out in an organized system of care and continuum of services; and• programs the passage of information to after-discharge services.

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) with aspirin and a P2Y12 receptor inhibitor is the cornerstone of pharmacologic management of patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and/or those receiving coronary stents. Long-term (>1 year) DAPT may further reduce the risk of stent thrombosis after a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and may decrease the occurrence of non-stent-related ischaemic events in patients with ACS. Nevertheless, compared with aspirin alone, extended use of aspirin plus a P2Y12 receptor inhibitor may increase the risk of bleeding events that have been strongly linked to adverse outcomes including recurrent ischaemia, repeat hospitalisation and death. In the past years, multiple randomised trials have been published comparing the duration of DAPT after PCI and in ACS patients, investigating either a shorter or prolonged DAPT regimen. Although the current European Society of Cardiology guidelines provide a backup to individualised treatment, it appears to be difficult to identify the ideal patient profile which could safely reduce or prolong the DAPT duration in daily clinical practice. The aim of this consensus document is to review contemporary literature on optimal DAPT duration, and to guide clinicians in tailoring antiplatelet strategies in patients undergoing PCI or presenting with ACS.

In the past decades, there has been a significant development in the management of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS), largely driven by advances in antithrombotic and antiplatelet agents. Despite significant improvements in efficacy end points such as death, myocardial infarction and repeated revascularization, these therapies are still associated with a significant risk of bleeding. Such bleedings are independent predictors of long-term adverse clinical events. Data that are currently available on the magnitude and the predictors of bleeding complications in patients with ACS have been obtained from randomized clinical trials. However, patients perceived to be at higher risk of complications, including the elderly or those with renal insufficiency, are often excluded from these trials, but constitute a significant percentage of patients treated for ACS. For these reasons, new bleeding risk scores are under evaluation to facilitate management and subsequent treatment decisions in the real world. Better identification of higher risk patients, careful dosing and appropriate monitoring of antithrombotic therapies, and incorporation of various peri-procedural strategies in routine clinical practice may potentially reduce the risk of bleeding of patients with ACS and further improve their clinical outcomes.