Certified Wound Care Nurse (CWCN) 2026 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The first-line therapy antiplatelet agent for Lower Extremity Arterial Disease (LEAD) is aspirin. This medication is widely used for its effectiveness in preventing thrombus formation in patients with arterial diseases, including LEAD. Aspirin works by inhibiting cyclooxygenase (COX), leading to decreased production of thromboxane A2, a potent promoter of platelet aggregation.

In patients with LEAD, aspirin is particularly beneficial because it helps improve blood flow and enhances exercise tolerance, which can significantly impact the quality of life for individuals suffering from this condition. While other agents such as clopidogrel, cilostazol, and vorapaxar also have roles in managing vascular conditions, aspirin remains the most commonly recommended first-line therapy for antiplatelet treatment in LEAD due to its established efficacy and safety profile.

Cilostazol, for instance, primarily acts as a phosphodiesterase III inhibitor and is often used to improve walking distance in patients with claudication associated with LEAD, but it would not be classified as a first-line antiplatelet agent. Understanding the roles of these different medications clarifies why aspirin is recommended as the initial choice for antiplatelet therapy in this specific