Summary
Several alterations of the coagulation, of the fibrinolysis and of inflammation are
known in patients with acute coronary syndromes. To extent current knowledge of the
pathopysiology and to optimize therapeutical strategies, the new molecular markers
can be used in clinical studies. Furthermore, several studies were undertaken to assess
the prognostic value of activation markers of these systems for patients with unstable
angina pectoris and acute myocardial infarction with or without thrombolytic therapy.
The majority of studies focussed on markers of thrombin activation, fibrinogen, fibrin
degradation products and t-PA and its main inhibitor PAI-1. While there are stimulating
results from larger studies, the value for prognosis for the individual patient still
is limited by the overlap of patients with good versus a poor outcome.
Key words
Fibrinolysis - coagulation - inflammation - activation marker - acute coronary syndromes