Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 15, 2026

Microfluidics in Assessing Platelet Function
Published on: November 8, 2024
Comparison of platelet function tests in predicting clinical outcome in patients undergoing coronary stent
Nicoline J Breet1, Jochem W van Werkum, Heleen J Bouman
1Department of Cardiology, St Antonius Hospital, PO Box 2500, 3435 CM Nieuwegein, The Netherlands.
Insights
High on-treatment platelet reactivity after coronary stent implantation is linked to adverse events. Several platelet function tests showed modest predictive ability for these events but could not predict bleeding risk.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Clinical Pharmacology
- Hematology
Background:
- High on-treatment platelet reactivity (HPR) is a known risk factor for atherothrombotic events post-coronary stent implantation.
- Predicting clinical outcomes in patients undergoing stenting requires reliable assessment of platelet function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the predictive capability of multiple platelet function tests for clinical outcomes in patients receiving clopidogrel after coronary stenting.
- To assess the ability of these tests to predict major adverse cardiovascular and bleeding events.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, observational, single-center cohort study included 1069 patients undergoing elective coronary stenting.
- On-treatment platelet reactivity was assessed using light transmittance aggregometry, Verify Now P2Y12, Platelet works, IMPACT-R, and PFA-100 systems.
- Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis determined cutoff values for HPR and test discrimination.
Main Results:
- At 1-year follow-up, HPR assessed by light transmittance aggregometry, Verify Now, Platelet works, and Innovance PFA P2Y was associated with a higher incidence of the primary endpoint (composite of death, myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, stroke).
- ROC analysis indicated a modest ability of light transmittance aggregometry, Verify Now, and Platelet works to discriminate between patients with and without the primary endpoint.
- IMPACT-R and Siemens PFA Collagen/ADP showed no discriminative ability. None of the tested platelet function assays could predict bleeding risk.
Conclusions:
- Light transmittance aggregometry, Verify Now, Platelet works, and Innovance PFA P2Y are significantly associated with adverse ischemic events after stenting.
- The predictive accuracy of these platelet function tests for ischemic events is modest.
- Current platelet function tests do not reliably identify patients at increased risk of bleeding post-stent implantation.
Abstract:
Context High on-treatment platelet reactivity is associated with atherothrombotic events following coronary stent implantation. Objective To evaluate the capability of multiple platelet function tests to predict clinical outcome. Design, Setting, and Patients Prospective, observational, single-center cohort study of 1069 consecutive patients taking clopidogrel undergoing elective coronary stent implantation between December 2005 and December 2007. On-treatment platelet reactivity was measured in parallel by light transmittance aggregometry, Verify Now P2Y12 and Platelet works assays, and the IMPACT-R and the platelet function analysis system (PFA-100) (with the Dade PFA collagen/adenosine diphosphate (ADP) cartridge and Innovance PFA P2Y). Cutoff values for high on-treatment platelet reactivity were established by receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis. Main Outcome Measurement The primary end point was defined as a composite of all-cause death, nonfatal acute myocardial infarction, stent thrombosis, and ischemic stroke. The primary safety end point included TIMI (Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction) criteria major and minor bleeding. Results Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that at 1-year follow-up, the primary end point occurred more frequently in patients with high on-treatment platelet reactivity when assessed by light transmittance aggregometry (52 [11.7%; 95% confidence interval {CI}, 8.9%-15.0%] vs 36 [6.0%;95%CI, 4.2%-8.2%] P.001; n=1049),Verify Now (54 [13.3%; 95% CI, 10.2%-17.0%] vs 37 [5.7%; 95% CI, 4.1%-7.8%]P.001; n=1052), Platelet works (33 [12.6%; 95% CI, 8.8%-17.2%] vs 21 [6.1%;95% CI, 3.8%-9.2%] P=.005; n=606), and Innovance PFA P2Y (18 [12.2%; 95%CI; 7.4%-18.6%] vs 28 [6.3%; 95% CI, 4.3%-8.9%] P=.02; n=588). ROC-curve analysis demonstrated that light transmittance aggregometry (area under the curve[AUC], 0.63; 95% CI, 0.58-0.68), Verify Now (AUC, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.57-0.67), and Platelet works (AUC, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.53-0.69) had modest ability to discriminate between patients with and without primary end point at 1-year follow-up. The IMPACT-R(n=905) and the Siemens PFA Collagen/ADP (n=812) were unable to discriminate between patients with and without the primary end point at 1-year follow-up (all AUCs included 0.50 in the CI). None of the tests identified patients at risk for bleeding. Conclusions Of the platelet function tests assessed, light transmittance aggregometry,Verify Now, Platelet works, and Innovance PFA P2Y were significantly associated with the primary end point. However, the predictive accuracy of these 4 tests was only modest. None of the tests provided accurate prognostic information to identify patients at higher risk of bleeding following stent implantation. Trial Registration clinical trials.gov Identifier: NCT00352014 [corrected].
Related Concept Videos
Antiplatelet Drugs: Prostaglandin Synthesis, P2Y12 and Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitors
Prostaglandin synthesis inhibitors, exemplified by the widely known aspirin, wield their power by irreversibly acetylating...
Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies
Formation of the Platelet Plug
As the injured blood vessel contracts, endothelial cells undergo contraction, revealing collagen fibers in the basement membrane and underlying connective tissue. Furthermore, the plasma membrane of endothelial cells becomes adhesive, preparing the site for platelet adhesion. Platelets...
