Assessment of Candidacy for Dual-Antiplatelet Therapy Dual-antiplatelet therapy is integral to preventing stent thrombo- sis in patients treated with stents during PCI. Current guidelines recommend dual-antiplatelet therapy for 4 weeks in patients who are treated with bare metal stents and 1 year in patients who are treated with a drug-eluting stent, though it is recog- nized that this recommendation is in flux.4 In any case, consid- erable data suggest that premature cessation of dual-antiplatelet therapy is associated with an increased risk of stent thrombosis and resultant myocardial infarction or death.29,30 It is therefore important that an assessment of tolerability of and adherence with long-term dual-antiplatelet therapy be made before the procedure and that the importance of dual-antiplatelet therapy be discussed with the patient before and after the procedure. For example, this might include (but not be limited to) questions about scheduled or anticipated surgeries. Ideally, this discus- sion should be part of the informed consent process, and the intended duration of dual-antiplatelet therapy should be docu- mented clearly before the procedure. It is recognized that ascer- tainment of candidacy for dual-antiplatelet therapy might not be feasible during emergencies or when a patient is unresponsive, and these patients have been excluded from the measure. 5.4. Use of Embolic Protection Devices in the Treatment of Saphenous Vein Bypass Graft Disease It is the opinion of the writing committee that, when technically feasible, embolic protection devices should be used during saphenous vein graft PCIs. 