Mean platelet volume in patients with acute coronary syndromes: a supportive diagnostic predictor.

BACKGROUND: Platelets and their activity have a crucial role in acute coronary events. Larger platelets are enzymatically and metabolically more active and have a higher potential thrombotic ability as compared with smaller platelets.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate whether there is an association between mean platelet volume (MPV) measurement and cardiac Troponin I( cTn I ) in patients admitted with a suspected diagnosis of ACS and to assess the potential diagnostic efficiency of MPV in the diagnostic workup for ACS.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: After thorough evaluation of 215 eligible patients, 3 ml. Venous blood collected using Becton, Dickinson and company vacutainer and MPV measured within 1-2 hr of sample collection. Sample for cTn I collected at 6 hr and at 12 hrs, if required and level measured using Biosite analyzer.

RESULTS: Mean platelet volume (MPV) was found to be higher among ACS patients as compared to non ACS, 11.44±1.23 vs 9.91±1.27 fl (p-value<0.001). The NPV of MPV in the diagnostic workup of chest pain suggestive of ACS within 6 hours of presentation were found to be 82.53% .

CONCLUSION: In this study the MPV is significantly higher in patients with ACS than in those with chest pain of non-cardiac origin and its negative predictive value of 82.53%, it might be useful as an assisting rule-out test in conjunction with other markers in the early prediction of the risk of ACS.