ABSTRACT
Introduction To understand the evolution of therapy of the acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction, and interventional therapypercutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), it is most useful to trace the historical events that provided a rationale for the use of anticoagulant and antiplatelet drugs. The focus of this chapter is upon the explosion in knowledge of the physiology of the hemostatic mechanism and will trace the rational development of therapy based upon the pathophysiology of the ACS over the past 40 years.
