Related Experiment Video
Updated: Feb 28, 2026

Interventional Diagnostic Procedure: A Practical Guide for the Assessment of Coronary Vascular Function
Published on: March 15, 2022
CRUSADE Score is Superior to Platelet Function Testing for Prediction of Bleeding in Patients Following Coronary
Junghee Bang1, Sun Young Choi2, Moo Hyun Kim3
1Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, Dong-A University Hospital, Busan, South Korea.
Insights
The CRUSADE score better predicts major bleeding events (MBE) in Korean patients on dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) within one month post-PCI than platelet reactivity (PR) testing. However, neither accurately predicts 1-year MBE.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Clinical Trials
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Diminished platelet reactivity (PR) during dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is hypothetically linked to increased major bleeding events (MBE), but evidence is limited.
- Existing bleeding risk scores have unclear predictive value in patients on DAPT.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the predictive performance of the CRUSADE score and PR testing for MBE in Korean patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS) undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).
Main Methods:
- A prospective study included 903 Korean patients receiving DAPT after PCI.
- CRUSADE score and VerifyNow PR testing were assessed at admission.
- MBE were recorded at 1 month and 1 year post-stenting using the BARC scale.
Main Results:
- At 1 month, the CRUSADE score demonstrated superior prediction of MBE (AUC: 0.816) compared to PR testing (AUC: 0.605).
- CRUSADE score was an independent predictor of 1-month MBE (OR=2.94).
- At 1 year, both CRUSADE score (AUC: 0.62) and PR testing (AUC: 0.674) showed correlation with MBE, but without significant difference in predictive power.
Conclusions:
- Major bleeding events are more frequent in real-world practice than clinical trials suggest.
- The CRUSADE score is a superior predictor of short-term MBE in Korean ACS patients on DAPT compared to PR testing.
- Neither CRUSADE score nor PR testing reliably predicts MBE at 1 year post-PCI.
Abstract:
Hypothetically, diminished platelet reactivity (PR) during dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) should cause extra major bleeding events (MBE), although definite evidence is lacking. Multiple scores have been proposed to stratify bleeding risk, but their predictive value during DAPT is unclear. We compared the performance of the Can Rapid Risk Stratification of Unstable Angina Patients Suppress Adverse Outcomes with Early Implementation of the ACC/AHA Guidelines (CRUSADE) with PR testing to predict MBE in Korean patients with acute coronary syndrome. We screened 1105, and included 903 consecutive patients who underwent coronary interventions. All patients received DAPT, while MBE were assessed by BARC scale. Admission platelet reactivity was assessed with VerifyNow Analyzer simultaneously with CRUSADE score, and MBE were collected at 1month and at 1year post stenting. There were a total of 113 (11%) MBE at 1month, and extra 41(5%) MBE at 1year. At 1month MBE prediction was superior by CRUSADE score (AUC: 0.816, 95% CI: 0.79 0.84, p<0.0001), compared to PR (AUC: 0.605, 95% CI: 0.572-0.637, p=0.0007). Moreover, CRUSADE score remains the independent predictor of MBE by multivariate analyses (OR=2.94, 95% CI: 2.18-3.96, p<0.0001). At 1year MBE also correlated, but were not significantly different between admission CRUSADE score (AUC: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.58 0.66, p=0.0183) and PR (AUC: 0.674, 95% CI: 0.63-0.71, p=0.002). We conclude that MBE are more common in real life than reported in clinical trials. CRUSADE score was superior to PR testing for predicting short-term, but not 1year MBE in Korean patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention and treated with DAPT.
Related Concept Videos
Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT
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...
Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System II: CRP, Hcy, and Cardiac Natriuretic Peptide Markers
These markers indicate stress or strain on the heart muscle:
Natriuretic Peptides (BNP)
Cardiac myocytes produce these hormones in response to ventricular stretching...
Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies

