ABSTRACT
Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of death in the western world, resulting in close to a million deaths a year in the United States alone. CAD is a condition in which atherosclerotic plaque builds up inside the coronary arteries and narrows the arteries and reduces blood ow to downstream myocardium. A vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque that contains a necrotic lipid core and a thin brous cap can rupture, resulting in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). e rupture of a vulnerable atherosclerotic plaque causes the bloodstream to be exposed to procoagulant factors, forming thrombus, which can impede blood ow to downstream myocardium, trigging an acute coronary event. (Moreno et al., 1996).
