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Three new studies provide insights about optimal antiplatelet therapy after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stenting.
U.S. investigators measured platelet reactivity with light aggregometry and assessed clot strength (a measure of platelet-fibrin interaction) with thromboelastography in 192 patients undergoing PCI; nearly all received stents (about 70% drug-eluting). During 6-month follow-up, 38 patients (20%) experienced 44 ischemic events (death, MI, stroke, or recurrent ischemia); all were taking aspirin and 32 (84%) were taking clopidogrel at the time. High clot strength was significantly more common among patients who had ischemic events than among those who did not (71% vs. 12%), and high platelet aggregation showed a tre…