Changing Concepts of the Pathophysiology of Cerebral and Myocardial Infarction

In this volume we shall review the current status of antiplatelet therapy for vascular occlusive disease. Specific attention will be paid to the first of a new class of antiplatelet agents, ticlopidine hydrochloride. Our observations will be timebound and therefore imperfect. Imperfection, however, has its virtues. In 1991 Ordinas1 noted that a fully suppressive antiplatelet agent would be so effective, so perfect, that the adverse effect of severe bleeding would be the likely result of its administration. A perfect drug, in fact, is more likely to be classified as a poison than as a proper and safe medication.