Intravascular blood sampling using the Thrombuster II catheter does not cause artifactual platelet activation

Platelets and leukocytes play an important role in atherosclerotic plaque progression. Determining the activation state of both the platelet and leukocyte population at the lesion site has become increasingly of interest. A novel thrombus aspiration catheter, the Thrombuster II (Kaneka Medical Products, Osaka, Japan), has recently been introduced into clinical practice, and is finding rapidly increasing use. This catheter is capable of local blood collection within the coronary tree, but to our knowledge has not previously been validated to demonstrate lack of platelet activation. This study therefore aims to establish whether or not blood sampling via the Thrombuster II results in artefactual platelet activation. Duplicate blood samples were obtained from the descending aorta using both the Thrombuster II and a femoral arterial sheath (control). The samples were collected into CTAD (to minimize ex vivo activation) blood collection tubes and processed for flow cytometry analysis. Platelet activation was assessed based on the expression of CD62P, PAC-1 binding and platelet CD147 expression. Platelet-leukocyte aggregates were also examined. No significant difference was noted between the sheath samples and the Thrombuster II catheter. The Thrombuster II catheter is a novel thrombus aspiration device capable of providing the assessment of platelet activation and platelet-leukocyte aggregates in coronary arteries.