title: Elevated coronary whole blood viscosity in acute coronary syndrome patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As most clinical studies measure whole blood viscosity (WBV) from peripheral samples, potential differences in WBV obtained from the coronary arteries are often ignored. This study investigated differences in WBV measured from coronary artery specimens in patients with and without acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Consecutive patients with chest pain who underwent diagnostic coronary angiography were divided into two groups [non-ACS (n = 16), ACS (n = 22)]. The ACS group consisted of unstable angina (n = 13) and acute myocardial infarction (n = 9) patients. Two blood samples were obtained from each patient at the both coronary artery ostia prior to coronary angiography. Low-shear and high-shear blood viscosities (BVs) were measured at shear rates of 1 and 300 s-1, respectively, by a scanning capillary tube viscometer (Bio-Visco Inc., South Korea). Both low-shear and high-shear BVs obtained from peripheral, left and right coronary arteries were not different in both groups. Mean coronary low-shear WBV values obtained in ACS group were 29.2% higher than those in non-ACS group (295.3 ± 87.2 mP vs. 228.5 ± 69.2 mP, p = 0.016). Mean coronary high-shear WBV values obtained in ACS group were 15.6% higher than those in non-ACS group (42.9 ± 10.0 mP vs. 37.1 ± 4.6 mP, p = 0.036).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Direct measurement of WBV from the coronary artery showed no differences with peripheral samples. Future larger studies are needed to clarify our results.
authors: Division of Cardiology, Chonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonju, South Korea.
authors: Sang-Rok
authors: SR
authors: Lee
authors: Jin-Mu
authors: JM
authors: Jung
authors: Lae-Young
authors: LY
authors: Jung
authors: Ju-Hyung
authors: JH
authors: Lee
authors: Sun-Hwa
authors: SH
authors: Lee
authors: Kyoung-Suk
authors: KS
authors: Rhee
authors: Jei Keon
authors: JK
authors: Chae
authors: Won Ho
authors: WH
authors: Kim
authors: Jae Ki
authors: JK
authors: Ko
authors: Dong-Hwan
authors: DH
authors: Lee
authors: Robert S
authors: RS
authors: Rosenson
mesh_terms: D054058:Acute Coronary Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000789:Angina, Unstable / Q000097:blood; D001809:Blood Viscosity / Q000502:physiology; D017023:Coronary Angiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Acute coronary syndrome; blood viscosity; coronary vessels; wall shear stress