The link between heightened thrombogenicity and inflammation: Pre-procedure characterization of the patient at high risk for recurrent events after stenting

Heightened thrombogenicity and biomarker evidence of inflammation have been independently associated with ischemic risk in patients with coronary artery disease. However, a study examining their relation has not been reported. We analysed the relation between measurements of thrombogenicity and biomarkers in patients undergoing stenting and followed for 24 months recurrent ischemic events. In 84 consecutive patients undergoing stenting, pre-procedure thrombogenicity was measured by thrombelastography (TEG) and conventional aggregometry whereas biomarkers were measured by fluorokine multi-analyte profiling. Patients were stratified into quartiles based on platelet-fibrin clot strength (MA) by TEG and correlated with ischemic event occurrence. Patients in the highest MA quartile (high MA) had greater ADP-induced platelet aggregation (57.5 +/- 15.0% vs. 47.9 +/- 17.6%, p = 0.05), C-reactive protein (25.0 +/- 5.6 vs. 4.2 +/- 1.0 microg/mL, p = 0.006) and interleukin-8 (23.8 +/- 2.8 vs. 14.1 +/- 1.6 pg/mL, p < 0.001) than patients within the lowest MA quartile (low MA). Epidermal growth factor (7.7 +/- 2.2 vs. 1.2 +/- 0.3 pg/mL, p = 0.006) and vascular endothelial growth factor (296 +/- 35 vs. 190 +/- 10 pg/mL, p = 0.05) were also higher. Patients with high-MA had an ischemic event more often than patients with low-MA (48% vs. 13%, p = 0.02). Our study suggests that a link is present between inflammation and heightened thrombogenicity measured pre-procedurally in the patient at high risk for recurrent ischemic events after stenting. Larger studies are required to solidify these observations and their clinical relevance.