Acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes unstable angina and myocardial infarction (MI), affects approximately 1.5 million Americans each year. Many of these individuals are candidates for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; angioplasty), a procedure in which a balloon device is used to open coronary arteries that are narrowed and clogged by atherosclerotic plaque. Often, a stent is inserted into the blood vessel to help keep the artery open following the procedure. Although the benefit of these procedures is well documented, aggregation of platelets around the procedure site is possible, potentially resulting in the formation of clots that can lead to heart attack, stroke, and death. Glopidogrel (Plavix) has been widely used to reduce the risk of clot formation following PCI.
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