Background: Stable angina is associated with unfavorable fibrin structure/function. It is not known how acute coronary syndromes (ACS) affect fibrin architecture.
Objective: We investigated fibrin clot properties and their determinants in ACS patients.
Patients and methods: Clot permeability, turbidity and fibrinolysis were assessed in 40 patients with ACS versus 40 controls with stable angina matched for age, sex, and risk factors.
Results: Patients with ACS had lower clot permeability (p=0.001), faster fibrin polymerization (p=0.008), and prolonged fibrinolysis time (p<0.0001) than controls. C-reactive protein (CRP) and 8-epi-prostaglandin F(2alpha), a marker of oxidative stress, were the only independent predictors of clot permeability (R(2)=-0.74; p<0.0001 and R(2)=-0.65; p<0.0001, respectively) and fibrinolysis time in ACS patients (R(2)=0.60; p<0.0001 and R(2)=0.59; p=0.0002, respectively). In angina patients, fibrinogen and CRP predicted permeability (R(2)=-0.71; p<0.0001 and R(2)=-0.62; p<0.0001), and D-dimer predicted lysis time (R(2)=0.54; p=0.0005). In regression analysis models incorporating all patients, the only independent predictor of all clot variables was being an ACS patient (R(2) 0.51 to 0.85; p<0.001).
Conclusions: This first study of clot properties in patients during an ACS demonstrated that compared with stable angina patients, their clots are composed of dense networks that are more resistant to lysis and these features are correlated with raised CRP and oxidative stress.