Bivalirudin and clopidogrel with and without eptifibatide for elective stenting: effects on platelet function, thrombelastographic indexes, and their relation to periprocedural infarction results of the CLEAR PLATELETS-2 (Clopidogrel with Eptifibatide to Arrest the Reactivity of Platelets) study.

Objectives: The primary objective of this study was to compare the effect of therapy with bivalirudin alone versus bivalirudin plus eptifibatide on platelet reactivity measured by turbidometric aggregometry and thrombin-induced platelet-fibrin clot strength (TIP-FCS) measured by thrombelastography in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) patients. The secondary aim was to study the relation of platelet aggregation and TIP-FCS to the occurrence of periprocedural infarction.

Background: Bivalirudin is commonly administered alone to clopidogrel naïve (CN) patients and to patients on maintenance clopidogrel therapy (MT) undergoing elective stenting.

Race and sex differences in thrombogenicity: risk of ischemic events following coronary stenting.

Race and sex affect thrombogenicity. We have demonstrated that platelet-fibrin clot characteristics can be used to stratify patients for risk of ischemic events following percutaneous coronary intervention. We investigated race and sex differences in thrombogenicty and the relation to ischemic risk in 252 consecutive African-American and Caucasian men and women undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention.

Increased risk in patients with high platelet aggregation receiving chronic clopidogrel therapy undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: is the current antiplatelet therapy adequate?

Objectives: We sought to determine whether patients receiving chronic clopidogrel therapy undergoing nonemergent stenting who display high on-treatment preprocedural platelet aggregation measured by standard light transmittance aggregometry and thrombelastography (TEG) will be at increased risk for poststenting ischemic events.

Background: Patients exhibiting heightened platelet reactivity to adenosine diphosphate (ADP) might be at increased risk for recurrent ischemic events after coronary stenting.

Methods: A total of 100 consecutive patients receiving chronic antiplatelet therapy consisting of aspirin (325 mg qd) and clopidogrel (75 mg qd) were studied before undergoing nonemergent stenting.

Platelet reactivity in patients and recurrent events post-stenting: results of the PREPARE POST-STENTING Study.

Objectives: We investigated the relation of high ex vivo platelet reactivity, rapid fibrin generation, and high thrombin-induced clot strength to postdischarge ischemic events in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Background: High platelet reactivity and rapid fibrin generation may affect the incidence of ischemic events after PCI. However, limited data is available to link these ex vivo markers to the occurrence of events.