Acute coronary syndromes: consensus recommendations for translating knowledge into action

To the Editor: It seems that the perceived value of invasive therapy for different acute coronary syndromes varies according to how one chooses and values the various trials.1-3 The differing opinions may have been enriched had they not only considered short-term cardiovascular outcome but also weighed quantitatively — in absolute terms — the purported benefits (or lack thereof) of invasive therapy against the immediate complications and the long-term risks and burden of the combined aspirin and clopidogrel antiplatelet therapy usually necessary after stent placement. It may be that with all this information, patients also have a range of opinions regarding benefits and risks.4