Triple Antithrombotic Therapy for Patients with Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

Dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) has been the cornerstone of antithrombotic management for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). However, approximately 10% of these patients have concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF) and require chronic oral anticoagulant (OAC) in addition to DAPT. This traditional “triple therapy” has been associated with a three to four-fold increased risk of bleeding. The safety of non-vitamin K OAC (NOAC)-based strategies, using a NOAC plus a P2Y12 inhibitor, has been compared to vitamin K antagonist (VKA)-based triple therapy in the PIONEER AF-PCI and REDUAL PCI randomized trials, both of which have demonstrated that NOAC-based strategies are safer and provide an attractive alternative to VKA-based triple therapy among AF patients who undergo PCI. This article reviews the rationale, evidence, and recent evaluation of triple antithrombotic therapy among AF patients undergoing PCI.