ABSTRACT
Pathophysiology • Patient selection and risk stratification • The role of an invasive strategy in non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes • Drug-eluting stents and acute coronary syndromes • Long-term follow-up after the invasive strategy • The role of adjunctive pharmacotherapy • Reduced bleeding during invasive studies in acute coronary syndromes • Short-and long-term implications • Conclusions
Non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes (NSTACS) comprised of unstable angina (UA) and non-ST segment elevation infarction account for about 1.7 million discharges from US hospitals each year.1 Over the last 15 years, multiple randomized clinical trials have considered such questions as the optimal acute medical and antithrombotic management, the role and timing of an invasive approach and the best long-term strategies.
