Role of soluble and platelet-bound P-selectin in discriminating cardiac from noncardiac chest pain at presentation in the emergency department

Citation
Pa. Gurbel et al., Role of soluble and platelet-bound P-selectin in discriminating cardiac from noncardiac chest pain at presentation in the emergency department, AM HEART J, 139(2), 2000, pp. 320-328
Citations number
48
Categorie Soggetti
Cardiovascular & Respiratory Systems","Cardiovascular & Hematology Research
Journal title
AMERICAN HEART JOURNAL
ISSN journal
00028703 → ACNP
Volume
139
Issue
2
Year of publication
2000
Part
1
Pages
320 - 328
Database
ISI
SICI code
0002-8703(200002)139:2<320:ROSAPP>2.0.ZU;2-S
Abstract
Background it has been reported that selectins participate in the pathogene sis of acute coronary syndromes by modulating platelet-leukocyte-endotheliu m interactions. Elevated P-selectin level also has been observed in the cli nical setting of myocardial ischemia and reperfusion; however, its utility in differentiating cardiac from noncardiac origins of chest pain is unknown . Methods and Results soluble and platelet fractions of P-selectin were measu red For 122 patients with chest pain and 14 healthy persons acting as contr ols. Patients with a cardiac problem (unstable angina, congestive heart fai lure, acute myocardial infarction) had significantly elevated levels of sol uble P-selectin (156.0 +/- 58.8 ng/mL P = .002) and platelet-bound P-select in (11.7% +/- 6.4% positive cells, P = .013) compared with the P-selectin p rofile among controls (102.6 +/- 29.0 ng/ml, 4.1% +/- 1.2% positivity) and among patients with noncardiac chest pain (114.7 +/- 36.6 ng/ml, 5.7% +/- 2 .9% positivity). With a cutpoint of 10% positivity for membrane and 120 ng/ ml for soluble P-selectin, the sensitivities were 0.442 and 0.558, and the specificities were 0.915 and 0.553. Conclusions When a patient arrives in the emergency department, measurement of membrane P-selectin may serve as an additional diagnostic tool to detec t heightened platelet activity, which is most prevalent among patients with a cardiac origin of chest pain. However, low sensitivity limits the utilit y of the P-selectin profile alone in suitably differentiating acute coronar y syndromes within the overall population of patients with chest pain.