Association between the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes and the course of acute myocardial infarction

Abstract

Aim. To investigate the relationship between the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes and the course of acute myocardial infarction (MI).Methods. An analysis of the osmotic fragility of erythrocytes was conducted using beta-blocker-based osmotic fragility test in sixty-two patients within the first 6 hours after onset of MI symptoms.Results. The results revealed that the patients with increased erythrocyte osmotic fragility experienced more complications after acute MI, such as left ventricular failure and cardiac arrhythmias (ventricular extrasystoles and ventricular tachycardia) (p = 0.026). Moreover, these patients exhibited greater myocardial injury - the concentration of biomarkers of myocardial necrosis, such as creatine phosphokinase, creatine phosphokinase MB and Troponin I was increased - p = 0.009, p = 0.032 and p = 0.001, respectively. In addition to that, the patients with high osmotic fragility had a larger number of hypokinetic and akinetic segments, high impaired myocardial contractility index, and low ejection fraction. The impaired myocardial contractility index was significantly higher in patients with increased erythrocyte osmotic fragility (1.5 (1.22; 1.75) vs 1.12 (1.0; 1.56), U = 157.5, p = 0.032).Conclusion. Increased erythrocyte osmotic fragility in patients was associated with greater myocardial injury, manifesting through the higher concentration of biomarkers of myocardial necrosis in blood, as well as higher number of hypokinetic segments.