Popular Cardiologist in Rajanukunte, Bangalore • Management of ACS (NSTEACS) Patients with this diagnosis represent a rather heterogeneous group. Some have had the recent onset of angina at the extremes of exercise, others have angina at rest associated with ECG changes. This variation has made attempts to study the effects of different treatment rather difficult. Although the majority of patients with myocardial infarction have a preceding period of unstable angina, only about 5% of all patients admitted to hospital with a diagnosis of an ACS go on to infarct during that admission. The in-hospital mortality for these patients is low. Mortality rates of less than 2% are usual. Nevertheless, there is a real short-term and longerterm risk of infarction, recurrent admission with unstable symptoms and death which is higher than that of patients with stable angina. The diagnosis should therefore lead to admission to a CCU. The cardiac enzymes are, by definition, not elevated in these patients but the newer, more sensitive tests for troponin T and troponin I may be abnormal and indicate a worse prognosis . In the CCU, bed rest, oxygen and ECG monitoring are routinely enforced and any mobile phones taken away (allegedly to protect the monitoring equipment). Recurrence of chest pain can be assessed quickly and ECGs performed to look for changes suggesting infarction. The cardiac biomarkers can be checked regularly. All patients should receive aspirin (300 mg) unless there is a contraindication. Patients with an intermediate or a higher risk should also be given clopidogrel (usually a 300–600 mg loading dose). The use of intravenous heparin has become standard treatment. A typical starting dose is 5000 units as a bolus followed by 24, 000 units over 24 hours. The activated partial thromboplastin time (APPT) should be measured after about six hours of treatment and the infusion rate of heparin adjusted to maintain this at about twice normal. Heparin is generally safe when used in this way. Bleeding problems may sometimes occur and the platelet count should be checked every few days so that heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HITS), a rare but serious complication, can be detected early. Low molecular weight heparins are at least as effective as unfractionated heparin. These drugs have some advantages over heparin. Their dose response effect is more predictable and they cause less thrombocytopenia. They are effective given subcutaneously without APPT monitoring and are now cheaper than IV heparin when savings on APPT monitoring and the use of infusion sets are considered. A standard twice-daily dose is given according to the patient’s weight—1 mg/kg for enoxaparin (Clexane). The dose is reduced by half for those with moderate or severe renal impairment and for those over the age of 75. Additional treatment should include beta-blockers unless these are contraindicated. These drugs reduce the number of ischaemic episodes and probably the risk of myocardial infarction. Nitrates can be a useful adjunctive treatment. They may be given orally, topically or intravenously. The IV dose can be titrated up or down depending on the amount of pain the patient is experiencing and the severity of side effects such as hypotension and headache. The problem of tachyphylaxis with nitrates can be overcome by steady increases in the IV dose if necessary. Calcium antagonists are appropriate treatment for patients intolerant of beta-blockers and may sometimes be added to beta-blockers. Nifedipine, especially in its short-acting form, should not be used for patients with acute coronary syndromes unless they are already taking beta-blockers. Thrombolytic drugs have been disappointing when used for NSTEACS. In trials where they have been used for patients with ischaemic chest pain but without ST elevation there has been a trend towards an adverse outcome. This may be related to the rebound hypercoagulable