Clopidogrel for Coronary Stenting

BACKGROUND: Clopidogrel is administered to prevent stent thrombosis; however, the uniformity of platelet inhibition after treatment and the influence of pretreatment reactivity on drug response have not been described. METHODS AND RESULTS: Platelet aggregation (5 and 20 micromol/L ADP), the activation of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa (PAC-1 antibody), and the expression of P-selectin were measured in patients undergoing elective coronary stenting (n=96) at baseline and at 2 hours, 24 hours, 5 days, and 30 days after stenting. All patients received aspirin (325 mg). Clopidogrel (300 mg) was administered in the catheterization laboratory and followed by 75 mg daily. There was marked interindividual variability in drug…