Case report Late thrombosis after bare metal stent implantation in a patient with acute coronary syndrome

Abstract

We present a case of a 47-year-old man with ST-segment-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), successfully treated with bare metal stent implantation. After 20 months the patient was readmitted with another episode of STEMI due to in-stent thrombosis following voluntary withdrawal of anti-platelet therapy. The implications of late stent thrombosis after bare metal stent implantation are discussed. We compare this phenomenon with thrombosis after implantation of drug-eluting stents. Various aspects and potential causes of late stent thrombosis are reviewed, especially the issues pertaining the use of anti-platelet therapy and duration of this therapy.