[Role of antiplatelet agents in the treatment of ischemic cardiopathy].

In spite of the important role played by platelets in the thrombotic complications of coronary heart disease, it has been difficult to prove the preventive efficacy of antiplatelet therapy. Nevertheless, the overview of the results of several randomized trials together with the conclusions of some recent studies are strongly suggestive of the usefulness of those drugs, at least in some subsets of ischemic cardiopathy. So, drugs that affect platelets have been shown to reduce mortality and the risk of infarction in patients with unstable angina and probably also after myocardial infarction, and to preserve the patency of aortocoronary grafts. Their role in preventing thrombotic complications following coronary angioplasty is still uncertain. In spite of the results of recent publications it is still premature to recommend antiplatelet therapy in the primary prevention of ischemic heart disease. It is not yet established the more effective agent inside the group and also the more suitable doses.