Acute aspirin therapy

Acute Aspirin Therapy for AF-associated Stroke A combined analysis of the 1ST and CAST trials indicated a 21% RRR (95% Cl —5 to 41) in the frequency of early recurrent stroke associated with acute aspirin therapy compared to placebo in patients with AF. No difference in early mortality or sICH was found. This finding was largely driven by the relatively large (about 25% RRR) benefit observed in the unblinded 1ST, compared to the smaller benefit (5% RRR) observed in the double-blinded CAST. 

Overall no evidence was found to support the claim that anticoagulants offer a net advantage over aspirin in patients with acute ischemic stroke. There was evidence, however, to suggest that combination anticoagulant and aspirin therapy was associated with a small increase in the number of deaths at the end of follow-up, equivalent to 20 more deaths per 1000 patients treated. This adverse effect can probably be attributed partly to the 10 extra sICHs, and the 5 extra major extracranial hemorrhages per 1000 patients treated with combination anticoagulant/ aspirin therapy. 

Early aspirin therapy is recommended in most patients with acute ischemic stroke within the first 24 to 48 hours after stroke onset and should be continued for at least 2 weeks. 

Drug therapy of acute coronary syndromes including unstable angina and non-Q-wave myocardial infarction includes use of aspirin, heparin and anti-ischaemic drugs and is similar in older patients to other age groups. Activation of platelet thromboxane production in the coronary circulation has been demonstrated in unstable angina. The risk of myocardial infarction or death is reduced by approximately 50% by early aspirin therapy in recommended doses of 160-325 mg per day and continued... 

Clinical use Acetylsalicylic acid is the prototype of a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug and is used in a large number of inflammatory and pain indications including musculoskeletal, soft tissue and joint disorders, headache, dysmenorrhoea and fever (Symposium on new perspectives on aspirin therapy 1983, various authors). Furthermore, acetylsalicylic acid is used as an antiplatelet drug in the acute treatment of myocardial infarction in combination with thrombolytics and for the prevention of myocardial infarction and stroke (Patrono, 1994). 

Antithrombotic therapy for acute peripheral occlusive disease is largely empirical. Thrombolytic therapy typically is reserved for patients in whom the occlusion is not amenable to surgery and for those in whom a possible delay between the initiation of therapy and thrombolysis would not jeopardize the viability of the limb. Evidence that antithrombotic therapy changes the natural course of the peripheral disease is sparse, but these patients are at an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality and should receive long-term aspirin therapy. Initial trials suggest that ticlopidine may improve the symptoms of chronic arteriosclerotic arterial insufficiency and also reduce fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events, but further studies are needed. 

The beneficial effects of other contemporary therapies such as aspirin, beta-blockers, and inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system as well as an aggressive approach to revascularization following STEMI may override any small differences in myocardial perfusion related to the acute reperfusion therapy administered. 

Three years after introduction of aspirin into therapy, Hirschberg in Poznan, now in Poland, described the first case of a transient, acute angioedema/urticaria, occurring shortly after ingestion of aspirin. Reports of anaphylactic reactions to aspirin soon followed. The other major type of adverse reaction, acute bronchospasm, was described in the second decade of the 20th century. In 1920, Van der Veer reported the first death due to aspirin. The association of aspirin sensitivity, asthma and nasal polyps was first recorded by Widal in 1922. This clinical entity, later named the aspirin triad was popularized in 1968 by Samter and Beers [3], who presented a... 

In the Multicenter Acute Stroke Trial Italy (MAST-I) study, 622 patients were randomized in a 2 X 2 factorial design to receive either a 1-hour infusion of 1.5 lU streptokinase or 300 mg aspirin or both, or neither. Streptokinase (alone or with aspirin) was associated with a greater number of fatahties at 10 days (OR 2.7,95% Cl 1.7. 3). In MAST-I, neither aspirin monotherapy nor combination therapy reduced the primary outcome of combined 6-month fatahty and severe disability. 

Combination GP Ilb/IIIa and rt-PA Therapy for Acute Stroke The combination of antiplatelet and thrombolytic drugs has proven efficacy in the setting of myocardial ischemia where an additive effect is seen. In acute stroke thrombolysis with a very narrow time window and less than 50% optimal reperfusion rates,adjunctive therapy with antiplatelets may be a promising approach. However, MAST-I concluded that the group of patients receiving streptokinase plus aspirin had a marked increase in 10-day mortality. 

Acute and chronic sinusitis can also aggravate asthma, and antibiotic therapy of sinusitis may improve asthma symptoms.3 Nasal polyps are associated with aspirin-sensitive asthma, and adult patients with nasal polyps should be counseled against using non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications.1,3... 

Unlabeled uses As an adjunct in treatment of coronary occlusion with acute Ml. Although there is some controversy regarding the efficacy of heparin therapy with concurrent antiplatelet therapy (eg, aspirin) in the prevention of rethrombosis/reocclusion after primary thrombolysis with thrombolytics during acute Ml, it is recommended by the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association. Generally, administer heparin IV immediately after thrombolytic... 

Collen, D. (1998). Staphylokinase a potent, uniquely fibrin-selective thrombolytic agent. Nature Med. 4(3), 279-284. Collins, R. et al. (1997). Drug therapy—aspirin, heparin and fibrinolytic therapy in suspected acute myocardial infarction. N. Engl. J. Med. 336(12), 847-860. 

Cohen M, Adams PC, Parry G, Xiong J, Chamberlain D, Wieczorek 1 et al. Combination antithrombotic therapy in unstable rest angina and non-Q-wave infarction in nonprior aspirin users. Primary end points analysis from the ATACS trial. Antithrombotic Therapy in Acute Coronary Syndromes Research Group. Circulation 1994 89(l) 81-8. 

Acute coronary syndrome IV Bolus, IV Infusion 180 mcg/kg bolus then 2 mcg/kg/min until discharge or coronary artery bypass graft, up to 72 hr. Maximum 15 mg/h. Concurrent aspirin and heparin therapy is recommended. 

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