The AHA and ACC have updated their 2000 guidelines to keep pace with rapid changes in therapy and management options for these patients.
Sponsoring Organizations: the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart AssociationBackground and Purpose: Since 2000, when these guidelines were last issued, there have been rapid advances in antiplatelet, antithrombotic, and cholesterol-lowering therapy, along with further evidence supporting invasive management for certain subgroups of patients with unstable angina and non-ST-segment-elevation MI (UA/NSTEMI). This revision reflects those new realities.
Key Points:
1. The guidelines continue to emphasize risk stratification in the initial evaluation and treatment of UA/NSTEMI patients. A combination of history, clinical findings, ECG findings, and cardiac markers enable differentiation into low-, intermediate-, and high-risk pat…