Appropriate antiplatelet and antithrombotic therapy in patients with acute coronary syndromes: recent updates to the ACC/AHA guidelines.

Thrombosis is the most important pathological mechanism of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). In addition to standard antithrombotic treatment with aspirin and heparin, clopidogrel, glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, and low-molecular-weight have a therapeutic benefit in ACS patients. Updated American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines for the management of ACS patients were published in mid-2002, and this article summarizes the rationale for the recommendations outlined in these guidelines for the use of antithrombotic and antiplatelet therapies.