Aspirin Effectiveness Study

Aspirin Effectiveness in Coronary Artery Disease Patients in Ireland

Aspirin is an effective medicine for prevention of heart attacks in patients with coronary artery disease and works by preventing clots from forming. In previous studies aspirin has been found to be ineffective in between 2% and 65% of patients but none of these studies have looked specifically at coronary artery disease patients in Ireland. This study is being done to identify the percentage of patients in Ireland whose aspirin is not working effectively and help identify factors that could be used to target interventions to increase aspirin's effectiveness in Irish patients.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age 18 years or older
• Patients with documented coronary artery disease
• Current treatment with any dose of aspirin daily for a minimum of 3 months
• Able to provide written informed consent based on competent mental status

Exclusion Criteria:

• Myocardial infarction, unstable angina or stroke during the preceding three months
• Platelet count <125,000/mm
• Known haematological disorders
• Active malignancy on current chemotherapy or a recent diagnosis of cancer