Significance of blood coagulation and platelet profiles in relation to pulmonary thrombosis in beta-thalassemia/Hb E.

In beta-Thalassemia hemoglobin E (beta-thal Hb E), hypoxemia with abnormal lung function was described and postmortem examination in these patients showed organized pulmonary trombi with thickened arterial wall, particularly in post-splenectomized cases. Coagulation and platelet profiles were studied in 58 beta-thal Hb E patients. In 35 cases with intact spleen, the fibrinolytic activity was significantly decreased with high antithrombin III activity, while coagulation tests revealed mild abnormality. The platelet aggregation to ADP, adrenaline, collagen and ristocretin were defective and platelet 5-hydroxytryptamine content was lower than normal. Twenty-three patients who had been splenectomized for 5-18 years, decreased fibrinolytic activity and high antithrombin III activity were also observed. The coagulation profiles and platelet aggregation in response to ADP, adrenaline and collagen showed better results. Fourteen cases exhibited thrombocytosis and their thrombin generation was in the hypercoagulable range. Platelet aggregation in response to ristocetin remained defective and platelet 5-hydroxytryptamine content was lower than in cases with intact spleens. Defective aggregation to ristocetin would indicate abnormal von Willebrand's factor (vWF). Decreased fibrinolysis should very likely have a role in the occurrence of thrombosis and the better hemostatic profiles in post-splenectomized cases would contribute to the more frequent thrombotic incidence in these cases.

Factor VIII, factor IX and fibrinogen content in cryoprecipitate, fresh plasma and cryoprecipitate-removed plasma.

In order to provide accurate information for physicians, factor VIII, factor IX and fibrinogen content were determined in 40 bags of cryoprecipitate, fresh plasma and cryoprecipitate-removed plasma. A cryoprecipitate bag with a volume of 21.8 +/- 5.3 ml contained 139.5 +/- 42.9 units of factor VIII and 200.0 +/- 80.0 mg of fibrinogen. Fresh plasma with a volume of 208.0 +/- 22.5 ml contained 180.9 +/- 45.3 of factor IX, significantly higher than in cryoprecipitate-removed plasma. It was also found in this study that group O blood showed a significantly lower level of factor VIII.

Increased fibrinolysis and changes in blood coagulation during epidural block for transurethral prostatectomy.

Epidural analgesia is the choice of anesthesia for transurethral prostatectomy (TURP). Unfortunately, this technique may increase fibrinolysis as well as decrease in fibrinogen and platelets count, which might cause deleterious bleeding problem during the procedure performed under epidural block. The present study was therefore undertake to assess the degree of increased fibrinolysis and changes in coagulation profiles during epidural anesthesia for TURP. Twenty patients aged from 57 to 83 years were studied. Group 1 of 7 patients did not receive antifibrinolysin (transamin) after 20 minutes following epidural block. Group 11 of 13 patients did not receive transamin intravenously. Blood samples were drawn for euglobulinlysis time (ELT), fibrinogen, platelets, haemoglobin, prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastin time (PTT). The sampling periods included pre-epidural block as baseline values, 10 and 45 minutes after epidural block and the last was obtained immediately after the completion of surgery. The study revealed the same degree of increased fibrinolysis in both groups tested ten minutes after epidural analgesia and throughout the entire operation. There were no statistical significant changes in fibrinogen level, PT and PTT. The platelet counts decreased from the baseline values in group 1 more than group 11, but the quantities were within normal ranges. The results indicated that fibrinolysis following epidural analgesia for TURP increased in the same degree in all patients if either they received transamin or not. Furthermore, the increased fibrinolytic activity did not lead to a problem of blood loss in this study.