Characterising the opioid-oral P2Y12 inhibitor drug interaction in the context of coronary artery disease and the evaluation of intravenous lignocaine as an alternative analgesic to opioids

This thesis explores a concerning drug interaction between opioids like morphine and blood thinners that are critically important for patients suffering a heart attack. This interaction is better characterised by a series of new studies that build our understanding of the potential significance of this interaction and its potential consequences. A solution to this problem is then tested whereby an alternative non-opioid painkiller called lignocaine is put to the test in two clinical trials to determine if it can be a safe and effective alternative to the opioid, fentanyl in patients suffering a heart attack.