Bleeding Complications in Patients Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is considered a relatively safe procedure associated with low rates of complications, but is inevitably associated with short and mid-to-long term increased bleeding risk. Besides the short term risk associated with the arterial access to perform PCI, enhanced bleeding risk persists for several months, given the need for antithrombotic therapy to prevent procedurerelated thrombotic complications as well as ischemic recurrences. Bleeding is a powerful harbinger of adverse outcomes. This awareness has fuelled intense research on bleeding reduction strategies, including new PCI devices and techniques as well as new medications and antithrombotic regimens. We here review the mechanisms and prevalence of bleeding in PCI patients, discuss the available evidence from a practical point of view, and explore future perspectives on how to treat and prevent bleeding complications in these patients.

Automated summary

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a relatively safe procedure, but is inevitably associated with short and mid-to-long term increased bleeding risk. Bleeding is an important prognostic factor and it is important to study strategies for reducing bleeding.