A Prescriber's Guides to Oral Antiplatelet Therapy

The current antiplatelet medications in the United States are aspirin, dipyridamole, ticlopidine, clopidogrel, and the newest drug, prasugrel. Antiplatelet medications play important roles in the treatment and prevention of myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, cerebrovascular accident, and many others. This review highlights important concepts of antiplatelet medications to help nurse practitioners understand their place in therapy, dosing, monitoring, and safety considerations and their roles in various medical conditions.