Intravascular blood sampling using the export catheter does not induce artifactual platelet activation.

We sought to investigate the feasibility of using the Export catheter to sample blood from the coronary arteries for studies of platelet activation. A pilot comparison between the Export catheter and the established Simmons catheter--currently used to sample blood from the coronary sinus--was performed. Triplicate blood samples were obtained from the descending aorta for each catheter in 10 patients, and analyzed for platelet P-selectin expression, PAC-1 expression, and platelet-leukocyte aggregate formation by flow cytometry. We found no significant increase in levels of platelet activation above that of reference values and no significant differences between the two catheters.