Platelets and antiplatelet therapy in ischemic heart disease.
Blood platelets have been shown to play an important role not only in thrombosis, but also in the pathogenesis of coronary artery disease and its complications. Drugs that affect platelets have been shown to reduce mortality in survivors of acute myocardial infarction, to reduce the risk of myocardial infarction in patients with unstable angina, and to preserve the potency of saphenous venous grafts used to bypass obstructed coronary arteries. The drugs may also play a role in the primary prevention of arteriosclerosis and in preventing thrombotic complications following coronary angioplasty.
Miller
K P
KP
Department of Medicine, Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York, New York.
Frishman
W H
WH
D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000502:physiology*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors