INCREASED HEPARIN-RELEASABLE PLATELET FACTOR-4 AND D-DIMER IN PATIENTS ONE-MONTH AFTER THE ONSET OF ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION - PERSISTENT ACTIVATION OF PLATELETS AND THE COAGULATION FIBRINOLYTIC SYSTEM
S. Abe et al., INCREASED HEPARIN-RELEASABLE PLATELET FACTOR-4 AND D-DIMER IN PATIENTS ONE-MONTH AFTER THE ONSET OF ACUTE MYOCARDIAL-INFARCTION - PERSISTENT ACTIVATION OF PLATELETS AND THE COAGULATION FIBRINOLYTIC SYSTEM, International journal of cardiology, 47(1), 1994, pp. 7-12
To evaluate the activity of platelets and the coagulation/fibrinolytic
system 1 month after the onset of acute myocardial infarction, we mea
sured the plasma levels of molecular markers, i.e. beta-thromboglobuli
n, platelet factor 4, thrombin-antithrombin III complex and D dimer, i
n 16 patients with acute myocardial infarction and in 11 normal subjec
ts. Blood was drawn through a catheter placed in the pulmonary artery
before heparin injection. The heparin-releasable platelet factor 4 was
calculated by subtracting the level before the injection of 5000 U of
heparin, from the level 5 min after injection. The plasma beta-thromb
oglobulin, thrombin-antithrombin III complex and the D dimer levels in
the acute phase of myocardial infarction were 134.9 +/- 121.2, 11.2 /- 7.1 and 164.4 +/- 115.3 ng/ml, respectively. These values were sign
ificantly higher than those in the normal subjects. The plasma levels
of beta-thromboglobulin and thrombin-antithrombin III complex, 1 month
after the onset (36.6 +/- 16.4 and 4.6 +/- 2.3 ng/ml, respectively) w
ere not significantly different from those of the normal subjects. In
contrast, D dimer and heparin-releasable platelet factor 4 were 216.9
+/- 176.9 and 80.5 +/- 29.3 ng/ml, respectively, and significantly hig
her than in the normal subjects. These findings suggest a latent but p
ersistent activation of the platelets and the coagulation/fibrinolytic
system 1 month after the onset of acute myocardial infarction.