title: The safety and efficacy of aspirin and clopidogrel as a combination treatment in patients with coronary heart disease.
abstract: The use of aspirin and clopidogrel in combination has become part of the standard clinical care of patients with coronary artery disease. The use of this combination provides significant benefits compared with the use of aspirin alone in patients with acute coronary syndromes, and in patients treated with percutaneous coronary intervention with stent placement (both bare metal and drug-eluting stents). Clinical trials have demonstrated significant efficacy of this dual therapy; however, there is the potential for significant bleeding complications from the synergistic antiplatelet effects. In total, it appears that when there is vessel injury (mechanical from perctutaneous coronary intervention or a ruptured plaque), dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and clopidogrel results in improved outcomes, albeit with a small but significant inherent risk of increased bleeding.
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor of Medicine, The Ohio State University, The Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute and Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA. glen.cooke@osumc.edu
authors.forename: Glen E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Cooke
authors.forename: Pascal J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Goldschmidt-Clermont
mesh_terms: D001241:Aspirin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000077144:Clopidogrel; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D006801:Humans; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013988:Ticlopidine / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors; D000077144:Clopidogrel; D013988:Ticlopidine; D001241:Aspirin