Study Recommends Pre-Angioplasty Plavix
29th Sep 2005, 18:58 GMT
In a large international study presented yesterday at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, researchers found that giving heart attack victims Plavix (clopidogrel) as soon as they arrive at the emergency room almost halved the risk of a stroke, a repeated heart attack or death within the first month after angioplasty. Plavix is sometimes referred to as “superaspirin” because it prevents blood clots in a similar way to aspirin but has a higher potency. The study, funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, was also published Sunday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. According to the researchers, the findings show that the strategy would save one in every 23 patients from a heart attack, stroke or heart-related death. Full text of study available here. Read Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments