Overview: Cardiovascular disease affects 20% of all Americans and is theleading cause of death in the USA. Every year approximately 1,500.000Americans suffer from an acute myocardial infarction, and over 25% ofthe total number of deaths in this country are attributable tocoronary artery disease. Unstable angina causes over 650,000 hospitaladmissions, and in the absence of medical therapy, the rate ofprogression from unstable angina to infarction is 12-20%. Since plaquedisruption, plaque erosion, and acute intracoronary thrombus formationplay major roles in the pathophysiology of both unstable
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