The Management and Antithrombotic Strategies of Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and High Bleeding Risk

Purpose of Review In this review, we aim to summarize the current understanding of high bleeding risk (HBR) patients in coronary artery disease (CAD) and provide a comprehensive evaluation of the available antithrombotic strategies for both percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures. Recent Findings CAD is a major cause of mortality among cardiovascular diseases, resulting from insufficient blood flow in the coronary artery due to atherosclerosis. Antithrombotic therapy is a crucial component of drug therapy for CAD and multiple studies had been focusing on the optimal antithrombotic strategies of different CAD populations. However, there is no fully harmonized definition of the model of bleeding, and the optimal antithrombotic strategy for such patients at HBR is inconclusive. Summary In this review, we summarize bleeding risk stratification models for CAD patients and discuss the de-escalation of antithrombotic strategies among HBR patients. Furthermore, we realize that for certain subgroups of CAD-HBR patients, more individualized and precise antithrombotic strategy development is needed. So, we highlight special populations, such as CAD patients combined with valvular diseases, with both high ischemia and bleeding risks, and those proceeding surgical treatment, which requires greater research attention. We note that de-escalating therapy for CAD-HBR patients is an emerging trend in managing this population, but the optimal antithrombotic strategies should be re-considered according to the patient’s baseline characteristics.