Managing antiplatelet therapy for patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) is complex, and current therapy options and approaches for these patients are suboptimal. Despite the use of available antiplatelet therapies--aspirin, clopidogrel, and the parenteral glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors--recurrence of ischemic events in patients with ACS continues to rise over time. Moreover, bleeding remains an important--and often underappreciated--risk with these therapies, and national registries demonstrate that dosing of antiplatelet therapies frequently strays from evidence-based guidelines. Recent quality-improvement initiatives developed in conjunction with national registries of patients with ACS promise to improve adherence to guidelines through hospital-specific performance reports. More evidence-based use of existing and emerging antiplatelet agents has the potential to improve both ischemic and bleeding outcomes in patients with ACS

automatic medline import