Thrombus aspiration is associated with improved platelet inhibition rate following dual antiplatelet therapy in acute myocardial infarction patients

It is well-established that thrombus aspiration during primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) indicates a higher thrombus burden and necessitates more intensive antithrombotic therapy. The bidirectional association between adverse events in AMI patients and platelet reactivity is typically observed during dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT).

To investigate platelet reactivity after DAPT in AMI patients with thrombus aspiration performed during PCI.

In this retrospective study, we examined 269 consecutive AMI patients who underwent PCI and recorded their demographic, clinical and laboratory data. The platelet reactivity was measured with thromboelastogram (TEM).

Ultimately, 208 patients were included in this study and divided into a Thrombus Aspiration group (N = 97) and a PCI Alone group (N = 111) based on whether thrombus aspiration was performed or not. The adenosine diphosphate (ADP)-induced platelet inhibition rate in the Thrombus Aspiration group was higher than that in the PCI Alone group (P < 0.001). Furthermore, multivariate linear regression analysis revealed that the ADP-induced platelet inhibition rate was independently associated with leukocyte count, thrombus aspiration and the combination of aspirin and ticagrelor as DAPT after adjusting for potential covariates in all AMI patients.

In conclusion, clinicians should exercise heightened attention towards the bleeding risk among patients undergoing PCI concomitant with Thrombus Aspiration postoperatively.