New Study Challenges Role of Aspirin in Long-Term Treatment for Patients with Stents

New research published in the scientific journal Circulation has re-evaluated the role of aspirin in long-term treatment plans for patients with stents. The study, which looked at over 7,500 patients with acute coronary syndrome, found that prolonged use of aspirin may be ineffective and even harmful for certain high-risk cardiovascular patients with stents. Typically, patients with stents are advised to take a combination of an antiplatelet medication and aspirin for about a year to prevent blood clots from forming. However, the study found that stopping aspirin after three months was just as effective in avoiding clotting complications while significantly reducing the risk of severe bleeding that aspirin can cause. The findings have the potential to change the standard of care for high-risk cardiac patients. While some experts still believe that aspirin is beneficial for patients with heart problems or stents, the study suggests that long-term use of aspirin may not be necessary. Dr. Roxana Mehran, the study’s principal investigator, prescribes a treatment plan without long-term aspirin for her own patients and believes that aspirin could potentially be removed even earlier, after a month. However, experts emphasize that aspirin is still an important treatment for heart attacks and caution against discontinuing aspirin without consulting a healthcare professional.