AccessMyLibrary provides FREE access to over 30 million articles from top publications available through your library.

Do doctors prescribe too much aspirin for heart attack patients? A lower dose may be as effective--and safer--than a higher dose.

Health News

| April 01, 2008 | COPYRIGHT 2008 Belvoir Media Group, LLC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)Copyright

Taking aspirin during a heart attack saves lives. This cheap, common drug can halt the formation of blood clots and ease blood flow through the coronary arteries. For this reason, doctors often give aspirin to suspected heart attack victims immediately upon their arrival in the emergency department.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

But doctors may be giving patients too much aspirin, and this may do as much harm as good. A study spearheaded by Duke university Medical Center physicians and published in the January issue of Circulation found that 162 mg of aspirin (equivalent to two baby aspirin) produced the same benefit as 325 mg (one adult aspirin), but with significantly less risk of internal bleeding. (The Duke study was an analysis of two earlier studies: The Global utilization of streptokinase and Tissue Plasminogen Activator for occluded Coronary Arteries (GUSTO 1) and Global use of strategies to open occluded Coronary Arteries (GUSTO III) studies, both conducted in the 1990s.)

THE PROS AND CONS OF ASPIRIN. A study published in 1988 found that a single 162 mg-dose of aspirin can improve the chance of surviving a heart attack by 23 percent and reduce the risk of subsequent nonfatal heart attack and stroke. As a result, the American Heart Association (AHA), American College of Cardiology (ACC) and European society of Cardiology (ESC) recommended a dose of 162 mg for treatment of heart attack. Conversely, there is little evidence to support the use of a 325 mg dose.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

The antiplatelet properties that make aspirin so effective in heart attack also are responsible for its most common side effect: internal bleeding; the higher the dose of aspirin, the greater the chance of bleeding in the stomach or intestines. Bleeding may also occur in the brain or elsewhere in the vascular system. This is why patients who take other blood thinners; have a bleeding disorder, uncontrolled hypertension, stomach ulcers, liver or kidney disease; or are pregnant should never take aspirin--even during a heart attack --unless directed by their doctor.

Because aspirin's effects are systemic, the drug can be effective in stroke as well as heart attack. However, because some strokes are caused by bleeding into the delicate tissues of the brain, patients should never take aspirin during a stroke until this underlying cause has been ruled out.

Related articles from newspapers, magazines, journals, and more
New study: Aspirin can reduce heart attack risk.
News wire article from: Miami Herald (Miami, FL) September 26, 2003 700+ words
...long prescribed aspirin to help heart attack victims avoid second...which can lead to heart attack or stroke. "Aspirin is a life saver...increases her risk of heart attack, but she takes an 81 mg tablet of aspirin each evening with...
New study: Aspirin can reduce heart attack risk.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
News wire article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Prater, Connie October 3, 2003 700+ words
...long prescribed aspirin to help heart attack victims avoid second...which can lead to heart attack or stroke. "Aspirin is a life saver...increases her risk of heart attack, but she takes an 81 mg tablet of aspirin each evening with...
Aspirin Foundation: US Experts Recommend Aspirin to Prevent First Heart Attack...
News wire article from: Europe Intelligence Wire March 19, 2009 700+ words
...implemented in Europe, they would greatly increase the number of people taking aspirin to prevent heart attack or stroke. Taking aspirin to prevent heart attack or stroke by people who are not known to have heart disease is known as primary...
An ASPIRIN(R) A Day Keeps First Heart Attack Away - Health Canada Confirms It;...
Press release article from: PR Newswire July 31, 2002 700+ words
...recommending the use of ASPIRIN(R) to help prevent a first heart attack to the benefit...recommends the use of ASPIRIN(R) within the...four hours of a heart attack to reduce a person...arteries during heart attack. ASPIRIN(R) has been...
New Survey Reveals That Administering Aspirin at Onset of Heart Attack is...
Press release article from: PR Newswire August 23, 2005 700+ words
...accessible for consumers to take aspirin when faced with a heart attack situation. The new St. Joseph...patients chew 160 to 162.5 mg of aspirin at the onset of heart attack symptoms. However, aspirin alone won't treat a heart attack...
Tommy Lasorda Joins Heart Attack Survival Crusade; Emergency Physicians Say...
Press release article from: Business Wire July 21, 1999 700+ words
...take immediate action. Aspirin Crucial for Heart Attack Survival "Through the...experts estimate the use of aspirin for heart attack first aid (as recommended...risks and benefits of aspirin during a heart attack. Free Consumer Information...
New Report Shows Aspirin Lowers Risk of a First Heart Attack by One-Third; -...
Press release article from: PR Newswire September 22, 2003 700+ words
Aspirin reduces the risk of a first heart attack by 32 percent...also found that aspirin reduces the combined risk of heart attack, stroke and vascular...demonstrate that aspirin prevents a first heart attack. The findings from...
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Encourages Broader Aspirin Use to Prevent...
Press release article from: PR Newswire March 17, 2009 700+ words
...the use of aspirin for preventing first heart attack and stroke...a suspected heart attack. Further...recommended aspirin treatment regimens...underutilized and that aspirin counseling...the burden of heart attack and stroke...
Medical memo; Aspirin for heart attack: Chew or swallow?
Newspaper article from: Harvard Men's Health Watch March 1, 2005 700+ words
...reason you need aspirin is the same reason...without delay: A heart attack is a dynamic event...the outlook for heart attack victims. But how can a humble aspirin tablet add to...and it's a heart attack. Aspirin helps by inhibiting...
Aspirin Unsurpassed in Prevention of Heart Attack and Stroke in Wide Range of...
Press release article from: PR Newswire March 12, 2006 700+ words
...today solidifies aspirin's role as the...the prevention of heart attack and stroke. The...cost ratio of aspirin in the treatment and prevention of heart attack and stroke...combined risk of heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular...clopidogrel plus aspirin group ...
For more facts and information, see all results

Source: HighBeam Research, Do doctors prescribe too much aspirin for heart attack patients? A...

©2009 Gale, a part of Cengage Learning. All rights reserved.
About us | FAQs | Contact us | Privacy policy | Terms and conditions
Other Gale sites: Encyclopedia.com | HighBeam Research | Acquire Content | Books & Authors | Goliath | MovieRetriever | Smart QandA