E-wave propagation index predicts left ventricular thrombus in patients after ST-elevation myocardial infarction

Abstract Objective To investigate the association between the E-wave propagation index (EPI) and the presence of left ventricular (LV) thrombus as assessed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the gold standard for LV thrombus detection. EPI could be a simple and effective echocardiographic parameter to identify patients at high risk of LV thrombus after ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Materials and methods We included 665 STEMI patients treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention enrolled in the Magnetic Resonance Imaging in acute STEMI (MARINA-STEMI) study. EPI was measured using transthoracic echocardiography at 3 (IQR 2–4) days after STEMI. LV thrombus was evaluated with cardiac MRI at 4 (IQR 3–5) days post-STEMI. Results A total of 665 STEMI patients (17% female) with a median age of 58 [IQR 52-66] years were included. Patients with LV thrombus (n=32, 5%) had a significantly lower EPI than patients without LV thrombus (0.92 versus 1.29, p