Pharmacotherapy of non-ST-elevation acute coronarysyndrome: a review of international guidelines

Abstract

Non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS) encompasses NSTE-myocardial infarction(NSTEMI) and unstable angina (UA). In the UK, the annual incidence of hospital admissions relating toNSTE-ACS is around 50,000. However, owing to the difficulty in diagnosing NSTE-ACS, it is hard toestablish its true prevalence. There is emerging evidence that the long-term mortality of NSTEMI isequivalent to, or potentially higher than, that of STEMI. The intensity of treatment and intervention in patients with NSTE-ACS is ultimately guided by risk offuture adverse cardiovascular events. This article provides an overview of the pharmacotherapy of NSTE-ACS, with reference to recommendations from clinical guidelines from the United States, UK,Europe and Australia and New Zealand.