Expert position paper on the role of platelet function testing in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

Optimizing outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) requires balancing between the risks of thrombotic and bleeding events in individual patients. 1 -3 However, finding the optimal balance is not always straightforward since the risks of thrombotic and bleeding complications may differ extremely between individuals.In addition, the individual effects of anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs are not uniform in patients. 4ecent European guidelines 1,3 recommend the use of prasugrel or ticagrelor instead of clopidogrel in all PCI-treated acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients without contraindication, acknowledging that laboratory assessment of P2Y 12 -receptor inhibition may be considered only in selected cases when clopidogrel is used. 1 However, there is no guidance with respect to the appropriate methodology and the suggested interpretation of results.The Working Group on Thrombosis of the European Society of Cardiology aimed to review the available evidence and the clinical relevance of platelet function testing in order to reach a consensus regarding the methodology, evaluation, and clinical interpretation of platelet function in patients undergoing PCI.