title: Clinical significance of histological features of thrombi in patients with myocardial infarction.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) is the most common strategy for the treatment of Acute ST segment elevation Myocardia Infarction (STEMI), and thromboaspiration has been increasingly utilized for removal of occlusive thrombi.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the influence of histopathological features of coronary thrombi in clinical outcomes of patients with STEMI, and the association of these variables with clinical, angiographic, and laboratory features and medications used in hospitalization.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study. All patients were monitored during hospitalization and thirty days after the event. Aspirated thrombi were preserved in formalin and subsequently stained with hematoxylin-eosin and embedded in paraffin. Thrombi were classified as recent and old. The primary outcome was the occurrence of major cardiovascular events within thirty days.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During the study period, 1,149 patients were evaluated with STEMI, and 331 patients underwent thrombi aspiration, leaving 199 patients available for analysis. It was identified recent thrombi in 116 patients (58%) and old thrombi in 83 patients (42%). Recent thrombi have greater infiltration of red blood cells than old thrombi (p = 0.02), but there were no statistically significant differences between other clinical, angiographic, laboratory, and histopathological features and medications in both group of patients. The rates of clinical outcomes were similar in both groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recent thrombi were identified in 58% of patients with STEMI and it was observed an association with infiltration of red blood cells. There was no association between histopathological features of thrombi and clinical variables and cardiovascular outcomes.
authors.forename: Juliana Canedo
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Sebben
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cambruzzi
authors.forename: Luisa Martins
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Avena
authors.forename: Cristina do Amaral
authors.initials: Cdo A
authors.lastname: Gazeta
authors.forename: Carlos Antonio Mascia
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Gottschall
authors.forename: Alexandre Schaan de
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Quadros
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003328:Coronary Thrombosis / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000601:surgery / Q000628:therapy*; D062645:Percutaneous Coronary Intervention; D011446:Prospective Studies; D015607:Stents; D017131:Thrombectomy