Impact of anticoagulation on coronary flow in patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome

The effect of anticoagulation by heparin on patients with non-ST elevation acute coronary syndrome (NSTE-ACS), receiving early dual antiplatelet therapy, has not been fully evaluated. We classified 355 patients with NSTE-ACS according to the adequacy of anticoagulation (percentage of low activated partial thromboplastin time [APTT] level). The 6-hour APTT level was optimal in only 23.1% of the patients treated with unfractionated heparin. The rate of poor preprocedural coronary blood flow (thrombolysis in myocardial infarction grade <3, 39.1%, 30.5%, 30.3%, and 33.9% in the 100% low-, 99%∼50% low-, 49%∼1% low-, and 0% low-APTT group, respectively, P = .632) and bleeding events did not differ between the groups. Instead, in multivariate analysis, the diagnosis of myocardial infarction was the only independent predictor of poor coronary flow. For bleeding events, the usage of glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor appeared to be a sole risk factor. In conclusion, inadequate preprocedural anticoagulation was not associated with adverse outcomes in patients with NSTE-ACS treated with dual antiplatelet agents.