From hs-CRP results, doctors gain crucial insight into inflammation of the blood vessels around the heart, a factor not considered until now for patients at risk.
In much of the world (but not in the U.S.,) drug-coated stents are avoided by cardiologists because of their high cost. To compensate for the inability to use these stents, many cardiologists outside of the U.S. have taken to administering sirolimus (also
Finnish Medical Society Duodecim. Unstable angina pectoris. In: EBM Guidelines. Evidence-Based Medicine [CD-ROM]. Helsinki, Finland: Duodecim Medical Publications Ltd.; 2006 Mar 15 [Various]
In the Injury Theory, it's damage to the arterial endothelium, followed by platelet activation, then smooth muscle cell migration to injury, then macrophages, with resulting "foam cells." Engorged foam cells burst, starting the injury cycle all over again