Coronary intervention and glycoprotein IIb/IIIa integrin blockade.

In a few short years, platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists have been developed from laboratory curiosities to critical treatment adjuncts to the successful performance of PCI. With more than 15,000 patients participating in trials of these agents during PCI, it is now clear that glycoprotein IIb/IIIa blockade reduces rates of adverse cardiovascular sequelae after PCI. Abciximab is the most extensively studied agent to date, but trials of other antagonists, particularly eptifibatide and tirofiban, support the utility of this class of therapeutic agents as a whole. This paper examines and interprets the results of large-scale clinical trials of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibition during PCI and reviews directions for future study with this unique class of agents.