Current treatment and future prospects for the management of acute coronary syndromes: consensus recommendations of the 1997 ushuaia conference, tierra del fuego, Argentina.

Management of acute coronary syndromes, particularly unstable angina, acute myocardial infarction and non-Q-wave myocardial infarction, is one of the most common and costly problems facing modern medicine. Furthermore, the increasing availability of new research and clinical information relevant to the treatment of these conditions means that continuing reappraisal of management strategies is necessary. Accordingly, the Ushuaia conference, Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina, was convened to discuss current approaches and future treatment prospects for patients with these conditions. The conference was comprised of leading Argentinian cardiologists whose primary aim was to formulate consensus recommendations regarding the management of patients with acute coronary syndromes. The first of the major recommendations for the pharmacological management of acute coronary syndromes arising from the Ushuaia Consensus Conference was that aspirin (200 to 500mg initially, then 100 to 325 mg/day) should be administered to all patients except those for whom aspirin is absolutely (or relatively, depending on the clinician's discretion) contraindicated. In such cases, ticlopidine is a suitable alternative. Intravenous nitrates are indicated for patients with angina pain (24 to 48 hours' duration), ECG changes, recurrence of angina, or signs of heart failure; in other cases, oral, transdermal or sublingual nitrates may be administered. Use of beta-blockers is recommended except when absolutely contraindicated or when there is a strong suspicion of vasospasm as a dominant mechanism in angina. Intravenous administration of these agents is preferred in patients with tachycardia, arterial hypertension or angina. Calcium antagonists are generally not recommended as first choice therapy, but can be indicated (preferably using agents that decrease heart rate) when beta-blockers are contraindicated or when there is a strong suspicion of vasospasm as a dominant mechanism in angina. Calcium antagonists are also useful in combination with other drugs in patients with high blood pressure or treatment-refractory recurrent angina. Subcutaneous low molecular weight heparins and intravenous unfractionated heparin provide similar results and are indicated in a number of clinical situations. Emergency videocoronary angiography (VCA) is indicated in patients with persistent clinical and haemodynamic instability, recurrent ischaemia with heart failure, and refractory angina. Patients should also be referred for VCA if they have signs of left ventricular dysfunction, post-acute myocardial infarction angina with ECG changes, or ischaemia during functional studies. Post-VCA treatment will be determined by anatomical findings during VCA. Future prospects in the management of acute coronary syndromes include the development of more accurate prognostic markers and means of stratifying risk, such as sophisticated ECG criteria, serum markers of necrosis (e.g. troponin T and I), markers of thrombosis (e.g. D-dimer and fibrinopeptide A levels), markers of inflammation (e.g. reactive protein C, cell adhesion receptor expression, neopterine), and markers of 'good' prognosis (e.g. interleukin-10). Other pharmacological approaches under investigation include platelet IIb/IIIa receptor antagonists, clopidogrel and hirudin. Novel agents, such as anti-Xa, pentasaccharide, anti-tissue factor compounds, Ib receptor-blocking agents, agents that influence vascular endothelium and control cellular acidosis (e.g. HOE 642), macrolide antibiotics, HLA-DR system blockers and fusion compounds, are also in various stages of investigation or development.