ABSTRACT
Remarkable therapeutic advances in the treatment of acute coronary syndromes (ACS)
have been made with combined antithrombotic therapy. Aspirin is accepted as standard
therapy in the management of ACS but has significant limitations, including intolerance,
resistance, and peptic ulceration. With the intravenous platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa
inhibitors and the new thienopyridine clopidogrel, the options for acute and chronic
antiplatelet therapy have expanded. Recently, the combination of antiplatelet therapy
and oral anticoagulation has gained much interest and has been shown to be effective
in secondary prevention of ACS. This article summarizes important recent findings
on the background of existing pathological and clinical knowledge to provide an understanding
of the basis of current combined antithrombotic therapy.
KEYWORDS
Acute coronary syndrome - antiplatelet therapy - aspirin - clopidogrel - platelets
- GPIIb-IIIa antagonists
