ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effects of ulinastatin on coagulation in children who underwent open-heart surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Fifty children who underwent open-heart surgery for ventricular septal defect were randomly divided into two groups: ulinastatin treatment and control. Before CPB, ulinastatin (1.0×10(4) U/kg) was added to CPB priming fluid only in the ulinastatin treatment group. Activated partial thromboplasin time (APTT), prothrombin time (PT), thrombin time (TT), fibrinogen and international normalized ratio (INR) were measured both before and at 1 hr, 6 hrs and 24 hrs after CPB.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The PT in the ulinastatin group was more prolonged than in the control group at 1 hr after CPB (18.7 ± 0.7 s vs 15.5 ± 0.5 s) and 6 hrs after CPB (17.5 ± 0.6 s vs 15.0 ± 0.6 s). The APTT in the ulinatatin group was also significantly more prolonged than in the control group at 6 hrs after CPB (38.7 ± 3.1 s vs 35.3 ± 3.1 s) and 24 hrs after CPB (34.2 ± 3.0 s vs 31.1 ± 2.6 s).</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Ulinastatin may prolong PT and APTT after CPB, and thus affects coagulation in children.</p>