Practical experience with ticagrelor: an Australian and New Zealand perspective.

Objective: Ticagrelor is recommended in local and international guidelines as first-line therapy in combination with aspirin in patients presenting with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). The purpose of this article is to provide practical guidance regarding the use of ticagrelor in this setting.

Methods And Results: Ticagrelor, a direct-acting, reversible P2Y12 receptor antagonist, has a faster onset, and a more potent and predictable antiplatelet effect compared with clopidogrel.

Comparison of abciximab with "high-dose" tirofiban in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention.

Background: The TARGET study has been criticised for sub-optimal platelet inhibition with tirofiban. We aimed to compare a high-dose bolus regimen of tirofiban (hd-tirofiban) to standard dose of abciximab for patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Methods: We assessed consecutive patients who received either hd-tirofiban (25 mcg/kg bolus followed by 0.