Antithrombotic therapy in patients with chronic coronary syndrome: a focus on the 2024 European Society of Cardiology guidelines

Abstract

Antithrombotic therapy represents the mainstay of the pharmacological treatment in patients with chronic coronary syndrome (CCS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The optimal choice, combination, and duration of antithrombotic therapy represent still a clinical conundrum requiring a critical assessment of patient comorbidities, clinical presentation, and PCI features. The 2024 European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines for the management of patients with CCS have been recently published encompassing new and revised recommendations on antithrombotic therapy. The scope of this manuscript is to provide a focus on the key recommendations on antithrombotic therapy of the 2024 ESC guidelines. Furthermore, we will provide an overview of differences and similarities between the latest ESC recommendations and statements on oral antithrombotic regimens in CCS patients from a recent European expert consensus document.