Mean platelet volume and major adverse cardiovascular events in congenital heart disease patients.

BACKGROUND

Platelet activation is linked with thrombosis, inflammation or heart failure.

OBJECTIVE

To establish clinical and analytical factors that may favor high mean platelet volume (MPV) and to determine if MPV levels favor major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).

METHODS

Stable CHD patients and a control population matched for age, sex and cardiovascular factors.

RESULTS

658 CHD patients and 2092 controls were studied. Median age in CHD patients was 33 (25-41) year old with 56% of them being male. No significant differences were seen between MPV values and cardiac complexity (p = 0.308) nor between MPV values in the CHD and control groups (p = 0.911). CHD patients had significant lower platelet count and MPV levels than patients in the control group. In the binary logistic regression analysis NT-pro-BNP levels above 125 pg/ml, thrombocytopenia and having atrial fibrillation/flutter reached statistical significance as predictors of MPV levels above 11 fL. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed no significance between MPV levels higher than 11 fL and MACE, cardiovascular mortality and thrombotic events in a median time follow-up of 6.7(1.5-10.6) years.

CONCLUSIONS

Atrial fibrillation/flutter, heart failure and thrombocytopenia are predictors of high MPV levels. A MPV above 11 fL is not associated with MACE at a median follow-up time.