BACKGROUNDInflammatory mechanisms had played an important role in the occurrence and prognosis of acute myocardial infarction, inflammatory mediators was associated with adverse outcomes of acute myocardial infarction. This study tested the hypothesis that in the acute phase of myocardial infarction with ST-segment elevation, neutrophil count and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein are predictive of angiographic morphologic features that indicate thrombus formation in the infarct-related artery.

METHODSThis retrospective study included 182 consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction and ST-segment elevation. Patients were assigned to a thrombus-formation group (n = 77) and a non-thrombus-formation group (n = 106). All patients had a Killip's classification

RESULTSThe levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, total leukocyte counts, neutrophil counts, and neutrophil/ lymphocyte ratios were substantially higher in the thrombus-formation group than in the non-thrombus-formation group patients (for each, P < 0.05). Stepwise Logistic regression analyses identified high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, neutrophil count, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio as independent predictors of thrombus formation in the infarct-related artery (for each, P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONSIn patients with acute myocardial infarction, higher neutrophil counts, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein are predictors to indicate thrombus formation.