Description
Our understanding of the pathophysiological events that initiate and promote the development of many coronary syndromes has increased greatly in the last few years. As it has become increasingly clear that platelet-propagated thrombus is central to the processes that lead to these clinical conditions a re-evaluation has taken place of the available antiplatelet agents such as aspirin and dipyridimole. The limited effectiveness of these drugs has fuelled interest in the newer, and more powerful agents such as glycoprotein IIb-IIIa receptor blockers which have been tested in clinical trials and are now available commercially. This review considers the current clinical evidence for the use of existing antiplatelet agents, assesses the potential benefit and possible disadvantages associated with the widespread use of GPIIb-IIIa receptor blockers and considers future developments in antiplatelet therapy.
