A new study indicates that anti-clotting drugs such as Plavix taken in combination with aspirin can help people who have had a severe heart attack maintain clot-free arteries. Additionally, these people are less likely to have a second heart attack or stroke.

The study was conducted by Sanofi-Aventis and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, both of whom manufacture anti-coagulates. Dr. Marc Sabatine led the study. It involved a cross-section of nearly 3,500 men and women who had suffered a serious heart attack within 12 hours prior to being admitted to the hospital. Their heart attacks were the result of the coronary artery being totally blocked.

The entire group was given standard clot fighting drugs, aspirin, and heparin. Additionally, half received Plavix. The other half were given a placebo.

After a week, all of the patients were given an angiogram. Nearly 22 percent of those who were not given Plavix, continued to have clogged arteries, and many of them suffered a second heart attack. 15 percent of those who had received Plavix in addition to standard drugs had the same results.

Dr. Sabatine broke down the results by saying, 'That means that those taking Plavix had a 36 percent reduced chance of these negative outcomes as those taking placebos.'

The results of this study were presented at Wednesday's meeting of the American College of Cardiology in Orlando, Fla., on Wednesday, and will also appear in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Another study, which also involved Plavix, was also presented at the meeting. This trial was conducted in China and studied 46,000 people who were not treated with the more expensive clot blockers, but instead, were given Plavix. These patients had fewer subsequent heart attacks and strokes after being released.