Numerous placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials have demonstrated the benefit
of intravenous glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitors in percutaneous coronary interventions
(PCIs). These agents decrease the incidence of adverse events associated with PCI
in various clinical settings (ST-elevation myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndromes,
and elective PCI). However, great controversy remains as to whether this benefit is
confined to the prevention of small periprocedural myocardial infarctions, because
a longer term clinical advantage has not been definitively shown, except with myocardial
infarctions comprised of very large (>3 to 5 times normal) enzymatic increases. Nevertheless,
all existing clinical trials demonstrate either a small but statistically significant
benefit or a trend favoring their use. Meta-analytic methods show that although the
degree of the benefit is small, when viewed in the aggregate, it appears convincing.
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
February 5,
2003
Received in revised form:
February 5,
2003
Received:
December 17,
2002
Identification
Copyright
© 2003 Excerpta Medica Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
