Antiplatelets and stroke outcomes: state of the science.

This article reviews the current use of antiplatelet medications in secondary stroke prevention and in acute stroke treatment. Antiplatelet medications prevent emboli and thrombus formation to avert further vascular occlusion and ischemia. Aspirin, clopidogrel (Plavix), and extended release aspirin/dipyridamole (Aggrenox) represent the mainstay of secondary prevention of ischemic and transient ischemic stroke. Although antiplatelet medications prevent platelet aggregation by different mechanisms, the end result is a significantly decreased risk of secondary stroke, myocardial infarction, and death. Increasingly, the literature reflects hypotheses about the potential utility of aspirin and clopidogrel antiplatelet therapy as a preventative measure in patients at risk of stroke and as an approach to treat embolic ischemic stroke in the acute phase once it has occurred.