Management and immediate outcome of patients with intracoronary thrombus during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty

Abstract

A retrospective analysis of our experience with intraprocedural thrombus complicating percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) was undertaken. Of 983 PTCA procedures reviewed, 62 (6.3%) were complicated by thrombus. Patients were managed conservatively (group I, n = 18), with redilation (group II, n = 17), or with intracoronary urokinase and redilation (group III, n = 27). The three groups did not differ with respect to demographic or baseline angiographic variables, but complications, defined as death, myocardial infarction, bypass surgery, or threatened occlusion requiring emergency stenting, occurred in 11% of patients in group I, 24% in group II, and 48% in group III. Occlusive thrombus behavior was observed in 80% of these 62 patients. Patients with complications were less likely to have received antecedent antiplatelet therapy (79% vs 95% of patients without complications), had more complex baseline lesion morphology, more often had thrombus present at baseline (42% vs 19%), and more often had a low activated clotting time at the start of PTCA (53% vs 8%). Thrombi that led to complications more frequently exhibited occlusive behavior before therapy was begun (95% vs 71%) and more often occurred in the setting of intimal dissection (42% vs 14%). Patients undergoing PTCA at the time of diagnostic catheterization were more likely to have complications than those in whom PTCA was delayed. A successful outcome was more likely (83% vs 27%, p = 0.03) in group III if at least 140,000 U of urokinase were administered within 50 minutes of the appearance of thrombus. Thus intracoronary thrombus formation during PTCA remains a significant source of morbidity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)