Assessing the current role of platelet function testing.
In vitro platelet function tests are commonly applied in research and offer justification for using antiplatelet therapy. However, studies assessing the ability of standardized platelet function tests to predict patients' clinical response to aspirin or clopidogrel have generated contradictory results. At this time, there is no standardized definition for resistance to antiplatelet therapy, and the appropriate treatment of patients who are hyporesponsive to these agents is not known. Although such tests have a role in research, their place in guiding therapy remains to be established, and prospective trials are urgently needed. The ideal platelet function test for clinical practice would be rapid, easy-to-use, inexpensive, and reliable.
Braunwald
Eugene
E
TIMI Study Group, Cardiovascular Division, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 350 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA. ebraunwald@partners.org
Angiolillo
Dominick
D
Bates
Eric
E
Berger
Peter B
PB
Bhatt
Deepak
D
Cannon
Christopher P
CP
Furman
Mark I
MI
Gurbel
Paul
P
Michelson
Alan D
AD
Peterson
Eric
E
Wiviott
Stephen
S
D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004351:Drug Resistance; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D018579:Patient Selection; D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D010979:Platelet Function Tests / Q000191:economics / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000592:standards; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D010975:Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors