Antiplatelet therapy in acute coronary syndromes.

摘要

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is an epiphenomenon of atherothrombosis encompassing a heterogeneous group of clinical presentations. When atherosclerotic plaques rupture, core contents come into contact with flowing blood and platelets undergo shape change, degranu-lation, activation and aggregation with fibrin cross-linking. The resulting size of thrombus determines the degree of ischaemia and myocardial damage. Platelets thus play a pivotal role in the genesis of, and outcome from, ACS.