Author:

Keywords:

Aged, Antibodies, Monoclonal, Blood Platelets, Coronary Angiography, Female, Fibrinolytic Agents, Humans, Immunoglobulin Fab Fragments, Male, Middle Aged, Myocardial Infarction, P-Selectin, Plasminogen Activators, Platelet Aggregation, Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors, Recombinant Proteins, Thrombolytic Therapy, Tissue Plasminogen Activator, Treatment Outcome, Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems, Peripheral Vascular Disease, Cardiovascular System & Cardiology, myocardial infarction, abciximab, thrombolysis, platelets, TISSUE-PLASMINOGEN-ACTIVATOR, ACUTE CORONARY SYNDROME, RANDOMIZED TRIAL, FLOW-CYTOMETRY, P-SELECTIN, DESENSITIZATION, STREPTOKINASE, ANTIBODY, INTEGRIN, FAB, Abciximab, 1102 Cardiorespiratory Medicine and Haematology, 1103 Clinical Sciences, 1117 Public Health and Health Services, Cardiovascular System & Hematology, 3201 Cardiovascular medicine and haematology, 3202 Clinical sciences, 4207 Sports science and exercise

Abstract:

BACKGROUND: We evaluated platelet activation and aggregation in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treated with thrombolytic therapy alone or with reduced-dose thrombolysis and concomitant abciximab. METHODS AND RESULTS: The study was performed in 20 control subjects and 51 patients with AMI before and after reperfusion with either alteplase or reteplase or reduced doses of these agents with concomitant abciximab. Platelet activation was assayed by platelet surface expression of P-selectin. Turbidometric platelet aggregation in response to ADP was measured in patients before thrombolytic therapy and 90 minutes and 24 hours after the beginning of thrombolytic therapy. P-selectin expression was greater at baseline in patients than normal control subjects (30.4% versus 9. 8%, P<0.0001) but was identical between the 2 groups after stimulation with ADP (64.4% versus 69.3%, P=0.37). However, at 24 hours, basal P-selectin expression declined in patients (P=0.0025 versus baseline), whereas ADP-stimulated P-selectin expression was lower in patients than in control subjects (48% versus 69%, P=0. 0004). When combined with reduced doses of either alteplase or reteplase, abciximab achieved 91% and 83% inhibition of 5 and 20 micromol/L ADP-induced platelet aggregation, which decreased to 46% and 40%, respectively, at 24 hours. No appreciable difference in the platelet inhibition profile of abciximab was observed between the 2 thrombolytics. CONCLUSIONS: Platelet activation and aggregation are heightened in the setting of thrombolysis for AMI. Despite this enhanced level of platelet activation, abciximab, combined with a reduced-dose thrombolytic, inhibited platelet aggregation similarly to the level reported in elective settings.