The Prognostic Impact of Left Ventricular Thrombus Resolution after Acute Coronary Syndrome and Risk Modulation via Anti-Thrombotic Treatment Strategies

Background: Left ventricular thrombus (LVT) is a rare but dreaded complication during the acute phase of acute coronary syndrome (ACS). However, profound data on long-term outcome and associated anti-thrombotic treatment strategies of this highly vulnerable patient population are scarce in current literature. Methods: Patients presenting with ACS were screened for presence of LVT and subsequently included within a prospective clinical registry. All-cause mortality and the composite of MACE and thrombo-embolic events were defined as primary and secondary endpoint. Results: Within 43 patients presenting with LVT, thrombus resolution during patient follow-up was observed in 27 individuals (62.8%). Patients that reached a resolution of LVT experienced lower incidence rates of death (-23.9%; p =0.022), MACE (-37.8%; p =0.005) and thrombo-embolic events (-35.2%; p =0.008). Even after adjustment for clinical variables, thrombus resolution showed an independent inverse association with all-cause death with an hazard ratio (HR) of 0.14 (95%CI: 0.03-0.75; p =0.021) and as well as with MACE with a HR of 0.22 (95%CI: 0.07-0.68; p =0.008) and thrombo-embolic events with a HR of 0.22 (95%CI: 0.06-0.75; p =0.015). Triple antithrombotic therapy (TAT) with ticagrelor/prasugrel showed a strong and independent association with thrombus resolution with an adjusted HR of 3.25 (95%CI: 1.22-8.68; p =0.019) compared to other strategies. Conclusion: The presented data indicate a poor outcome of ACS patients experiencing LVT. In terms of a personalized risk stratification, thrombus resolution has a strong protective impact on both all-cause death and MACE with the potential to tailor treatment decisions – including an intensified anti-thrombotic treatment approach – in this patient population.