Association of plasma pentraxin 3 concentration with angiographic and clinical outcomes in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction treated by primary angioplasty

Objective To evaluate the association of plasma long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) concentration with angiographic and clinical outcomes in patients with acute ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated by primary angioplasty. Background Whether concentration of PTX3, a sensitive marker of inflammation, associates with angiographic and clinical outcomes in STEMI patients treated by primary angioplasty is unknown. Methods We prospectively enrolled 335 consecutive patients with acute STEMI undergoing primary angioplasty. Blood samples for plasma PTX3 measurement were drawn in all patients at the emergency department before primary angioplasty, and were measured by ELISA method. Results The median PTX3 concentrations were higher in patients with thrombus burden grade 4 and 5 versus grade <4 on initial coronary angiogram (0.29 ng/ml vs. 0.24 ng/ml, p = .02), thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) grade <3 vs. TIMI grade-3 flow after primary angioplasty (0.31 ng/ml vs. 0.24 ng/ml, p < .001), incomplete versus complete ST-segment resolution within 12 hr after angioplasty (0.29 ng/ml vs. 0.22 ng/ml, p = .001) and in patients who did not survive versus those who survived at 30 days (0.44 ng/ml vs. 0.26 ng/ml, p = .001). A linear correlation was observed between PTX3 concentration and baseline leukocyte count (Spearman correlation = 0.21, p < .001). After adjustment for laboratory and selected clinical variables, patients in the highest quartile of PTX3 concentration (>= 0.4 ng/ml) were associated with increased risk of 30-day mortality (hazard ratio = 11.83; 95% confidence interval = 1.52-92.27, p = .01). Conclusion This study suggests that higher plasma PTX3 concentration associates with worse angiographic and clinical outcomes in STEMI patients treated by primary angioplasty.