Editorial
Copyright ©2011 Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. Oct 26, 2011; 3(10): 315-321
Published online Oct 26, 2011. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v3.i10.315
Percutaneous treatment in acute coronary syndromes
Eduardo Alegría-Barrero, Raul Moreno
Eduardo Alegría-Barrero, Interventional Cardiology, Royal Brompton Hospital, London, SW3 6NP, United Kingdom
Raul Moreno, Chief of Interventional Cardiology Unit, La Paz University Hospital, 28046 Madrid, Spain
Author contributions: Alegría-Barrero E and Moreno R contributed equally to this paper.
Correspondence to: Eduardo Alegría-Barrero, MD, PhD, Interventional Cardiology, Royal Brompton Hospital, Sydney Street, London, SW3 6NP, United Kingdom. ealegriabarrero@secardiologia.es
Telephone: +44-20-73528121 Fax: +44-20-73528121
Received: June 23, 2011
Revised: September 23, 2011
Accepted: September 30, 2011
Published online: October 26, 2011
Abstract

Both ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and non-ST-segment elevation acute coronary syndromes (ACS) are the result of an acute thrombotic lesion obstructing blood flow in the coronary vasculature. Percutaneous treatment has shown to improve clinical outcome in this clinical setting by resolving coronary obstruction with different devices directed to restore coronary blood flow. In comparison with balloon alone angioplasty, implantation of bare metal stents reduced the rate of restenosis and cardiac events, but high rates of restenosis remained, leading to further investigations to develop drug-eluting stents with different pharmacological coatings that reduced restenosis rates and clinical events. In this review, we discuss the current treatment of ACS, reviewing recent randomized clinical trials and advances in medical treatment, including new antiplatelet agents and recent guideline recommendations.

Keywords: Coronary revascularization, Acute coronary syndromes, Stent, ST-elevation myocardial infarction, Non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction