ABSTRACT
The past decade has seen major advances in adjunctive pharmacotherapy for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Pharmacotherapeutic advances have resulted from a greater understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying platelet activation and aggregation, thrombin generation, and thrombus formation. Specifically, refinements in the use of unfractionated heparin (UFH), developments in the use of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) and direct thrombin inhibitors (DTIs), as well as improvement in both oral and parenteral adjunctive antiplatelet therapies have occurred.
