Clopidogrel in ST-elevation myocardial infarction patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention

Clopidogrel has become a mainstay in the management of acute coronary syndrome patients over the past decade, as well as an essential component of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) pharmacotherapy. Until recently, no prospective study has evaluated the effectiveness of clopidogrel in the setting of an ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). The majority of patients presenting with STEMI receive thrombolytic therapy (aspirin, heparin and a fibrinolytic agent) although many do not achieve or maintain adequate reperfusion of the infarct-related artery. The CLARITY (Clopidogrel as Adjunctive Reperfusion Therapy) study and the PCI–CLARITY substudy were designed to address whether a beneficial effect of clopidogrel, including a loading dose, would be attained among STEMI patients who were being treated with thrombolytic therapy and undergoing coronary angiography during the index hospitalisation. A total of 3491 patients who presented within 12 h after the onset of STEMI were randomly assigned to receive clopidogrel (300-mg loading dose followed by 75 mg daily) or placebo. Patients were scheduled to undergo coronary angiography after 48 h, and those who underwent PCI during the index hospitalisation formed the basis of PCI–CLARITY. This PCI cohort was followed for the combined end point of cardiovascular death, recurrent myocardial infarction and stroke for 30 days.