Slides

Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has revolutionized the management of angina and MI, frequently negating the need for coronary bypass surgery and permitting a more rapid return to normal activities. The clinical use of PCI is reflected in the number of patients who undergo this procedure. In the United States alone, 664,000 procedures were performed in 652,000 patients in 2003, representing a 326 percent increase from the number of procedures performed in 1987. Coronary stents and adjunctive pharmacologic agents—including glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors and thienopyridines—have improved the effect of PCI, establishing near normal antegrade blood flow in most patients.