Platelet Regeneration time in Cardiovascular Patients

Abstract

Platelet regeneration time (PRT). based on the assessment of platelet malondialdehyde (MDA) production before and repeatly after intake of one single dose of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA). has been determined using a sensitive and semi-automated method in healthy young volunteers. old healthy subjects. patients with vascular prosthetic material and patients with occlusive vascular disease (1). The mean PRT t/2 for 9 healthy young volunteers was found to be 4.0±0.3 days. In 15 patients who had undergone either heart valve replacement surgery or aortoiliac reconstruction the mean PRT t/2 was drilmatically shorter (2.40±0.1 days; p < .001). In the group of patients with occlusive vascular disease (n = 13). the mean PRT t/2 was also shorter but the difference was not statistically significant (3.4±0.3 days; p > .05); it must however be noted that six of these patients showed a shortened PRT t/2 value comparable to that observed in patients with vascular prosthetic material. Moreover. investigations designed to compare PRT in healthy young volunteers and in old heal thy subjects suggest that age does not affect per se PRT.(1) R. Roncucci et al., Thromb .Res., accepted for publication.