Surgeons, cardiologists, primary care physicians, and anesthesiologists frequently make decisions regarding antiplatelet management for patients undergoing elective surgery. Patients with recent coronary stent implantation can be particularly challenging as clinicians balance the cardiac risks of discontinuing therapy with the bleeding risks of continuing antiplatelet agents. More than 600 000 patients receive coronary stents annually in the United States, with up to 23% of these individuals requiring noncardiac surgery within 2 years.1 Observational evidence suggests that patients who have undergone percutaneous coronary intervention with stent implantation are at increased risk of perioperative major adverse cardiac events (MACE) and that this risk is moderated by stent type (bare metal stent [BMS] vs drug-eluting stent [DES]), operative urgency, early discontinuation of antiplatelet therapy, and time from coronary intervention.2-4