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Coronary Progenitor Cells and Soluble Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Prognosis after Coronary Angioplasty
10:03

Coronary Progenitor Cells and Soluble Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Prognosis after Coronary Angioplasty

Published on: January 28, 2020

Relation of an elevated white blood cell count after percutaneous coronary intervention to long-term mortality

Vivek Rajagopal1, Hitinder S Gurm, Deepak L Bhatt

  • 1The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

The American Journal of Cardiology
|July 13, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Higher white blood cell (WBC) counts after percutaneous coronary intervention indicate a poorer prognosis. Both baseline and post-procedure WBC counts independently predict long-term mortality in patients undergoing this heart procedure.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Inflammation Research
  • Medical Diagnostics

Background:

  • Inflammatory markers are linked to adverse outcomes following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
  • White blood cell (WBC) count is a general indicator of inflammation.
  • Elevated baseline WBC counts are known predictors of long-term mortality in PCI patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the prognostic value of postprocedural white blood cell (WBC) counts in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

Main Methods:

  • Pooled analysis of patient data from three major clinical trials: EPIC, EPILOG, and EPISTENT.
  • Evaluation of the association between postprocedural WBC counts and long-term mortality.

Main Results:

  • Postprocedural WBC counts were identified as an independent predictor of long-term mortality.
  • This finding held true across a pooled cohort from multiple large-scale trials.

Conclusions:

  • Elevated white blood cell (WBC) counts following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are associated with increased long-term mortality.
  • WBC count serves as a valuable prognostic marker in the context of PCI.

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