title: Coronary thrombus in patients undergoing primary PCI for STEMI: Prognostic significance and management.
abstract: Acute ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) usually results from coronary atherosclerotic plaque disruption with superimposed thrombus formation. Detection of coronary thrombi is a poor prognostic indicator, which is mostly proportional to their size and composition. Particularly, intracoronary thrombi impair both epicardial blood flow and myocardial perfusion, by occluding major coronary arteries and causing distal embolization, respectively. Thus, although primary percutaneous coronary intervention is the preferred treatement strategy in STEMI setting, the associated use of adjunctive antithrombotic drugs and/or percutaneous thrombectomy is crucial to optimize therapy of STEMI patients, by improving either angiographical and clinical outcomes. This review article will focus on the prognostic significance of intracoronary thrombi and on current antithrombotic pharmacological and interventional strategies used in the setting of STEMI to manage thrombotic lesions.
authors: Sabine Vecchio, Elisabetta Varani, Marco Balducelli, Giuseppe Vecchi, Matteo Aquilina, Giulia Ricci Lucchi, Alessandro Dal Monte, Massimo Margheri, Division of Cardiology, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Santa Maria Delle Croci Hospital, 48121 Ravenna, Italy.
authors: Sabine
authors: S
authors: Vecchio
authors: Sabine Vecchio, Elisabetta Varani, Marco Balducelli, Giuseppe Vecchi, Matteo Aquilina, Giulia Ricci Lucchi, Alessandro Dal Monte, Massimo Margheri, Division of Cardiology, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Santa Maria Delle Croci Hospital, 48121 Ravenna, Italy.
authors: Elisabetta
authors: E
authors: Varani
authors: Sabine Vecchio, Elisabetta Varani, Marco Balducelli, Giuseppe Vecchi, Matteo Aquilina, Giulia Ricci Lucchi, Alessandro Dal Monte, Massimo Margheri, Division of Cardiology, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Santa Maria Delle Croci Hospital, 48121 Ravenna, Italy.
authors: Tania
authors: T
authors: Chechi
authors: Sabine Vecchio, Elisabetta Varani, Marco Balducelli, Giuseppe Vecchi, Matteo Aquilina, Giulia Ricci Lucchi, Alessandro Dal Monte, Massimo Margheri, Division of Cardiology, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Santa Maria Delle Croci Hospital, 48121 Ravenna, Italy.
authors: Marco
authors: M
authors: Balducelli
authors: Sabine Vecchio, Elisabetta Varani, Marco Balducelli, Giuseppe Vecchi, Matteo Aquilina, Giulia Ricci Lucchi, Alessandro Dal Monte, Massimo Margheri, Division of Cardiology, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Santa Maria Delle Croci Hospital, 48121 Ravenna, Italy.
authors: Giuseppe
authors: G
authors: Vecchi
authors: Sabine Vecchio, Elisabetta Varani, Marco Balducelli, Giuseppe Vecchi, Matteo Aquilina, Giulia Ricci Lucchi, Alessandro Dal Monte, Massimo Margheri, Division of Cardiology, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Santa Maria Delle Croci Hospital, 48121 Ravenna, Italy.
authors: Matteo
authors: M
authors: Aquilina
authors: Sabine Vecchio, Elisabetta Varani, Marco Balducelli, Giuseppe Vecchi, Matteo Aquilina, Giulia Ricci Lucchi, Alessandro Dal Monte, Massimo Margheri, Division of Cardiology, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Santa Maria Delle Croci Hospital, 48121 Ravenna, Italy.
authors: Giulia
authors: G
authors: Ricci Lucchi
authors: Sabine Vecchio, Elisabetta Varani, Marco Balducelli, Giuseppe Vecchi, Matteo Aquilina, Giulia Ricci Lucchi, Alessandro Dal Monte, Massimo Margheri, Division of Cardiology, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Santa Maria Delle Croci Hospital, 48121 Ravenna, Italy.
authors: Alessandro
authors: A
authors: Dal Monte
authors: Sabine Vecchio, Elisabetta Varani, Marco Balducelli, Giuseppe Vecchi, Matteo Aquilina, Giulia Ricci Lucchi, Alessandro Dal Monte, Massimo Margheri, Division of Cardiology, Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, Santa Maria Delle Croci Hospital, 48121 Ravenna, Italy.
authors: Massimo
authors: M
authors: Margheri
keywords: Antithrombotic therapies; Coronary thrombectomy; Intracoronary thrombosis; Primary percutaneous coronary intervention; ST-elevation myocardial infarction