A Study on the Effect of Combination Therapy with Anti - Thrombin III and Gabexate Mesilate in Premature Infants for Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Both antithrombin III(ATIII) and Gabexate mesilate(Foy) are effective for the treatment of disseminated intravascular coagulation(DIC). However, their mechanisms of action are slightly different, and combined effect of ATIII and Foy in premature infant with DIC has not been studied. We evaluated therapeutic efficacy of treatments with either ATIII or Foy alone or both in combination. METHODS: We studied 23 premature infants of gestational ages between 30 and 36 weeks with DIC. Group A(n=10) was treated by ATIII only, Group B(n=7) by Foy only and Group C(n=6) by both ATIII and Foy. Three groups were compared for volume of blood sampling and transfusion and hematologic data. RESULTS: Improvement of hematologic data(platelet, PT, aPTT, fibrinogen, FDP) was not significantly different among 3 groups. The mean volume of blood sampling during 5 days of treatment was 30 mL, 22.5 mL, and 30 mL, respectively. The mean volume of packed RBC transfusion was 12.8 mL, 9 mL, and 2.5 mL, respectively and mean volume of platelet transfusion was 25.9 mL, 10 mL, and 0 mL, respectively, showing no significant statistical difference. But the mean volume of FFP transfusion was 141 mL only in group B, significantly higher compared to other groups. CONCLUSION: The combination therapy of ATIII and Foy significantly decreased the volume of FFP transfusion and may be more effective than monotherapy with ATIII or Foy alone in DIC of premature infant.