ABSTRACT
Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) are at increased risk of venous thromboembolism. Therefore, adequate laboratory control of hemostasis and subsequent adjustments of anticoagulant therapy are necessary. We studied hemostasis changes using thromboelastography (TEG), thrombin generation test (TGT) and thrombodynamics (TD) in primary MM patients (PMMpt, n=25) and patients in remission (RMMpt, n=34) during blood stem cell (BSC) mobilization. TD and TEG reveal hypercoagulability in PMMpt (*p<0.05) in relation to healthy volunteers. There was no difference in any of the tests between PMMpt and RMMpt. We detected no heparin effect in 22% of patients one day after the onset of the prophylactic heparin treatment (500 IU/h) during BSC mobilization; tests shifted toward the hypercoagulability in 75% of patients one day after cyclophosphamide (4 g/m2) chemotherapy. Global hemostasis tests were in good agreement with each other, revealed hypercoagulability and heparin "resistance" in patients with MM and may be useful for therapy individualization.
Subject(s)
Multiple Myeloma/complications , Thrombelastography , Thrombin Time , Thrombophilia/diagnosis , Thrombophilia/etiology , Thrombosis , Adult , Aged , Agranulocytosis/diagnosis , Agranulocytosis/etiology , Anticoagulants/administration & dosage , Anticoagulants/therapeutic use , Blood Coagulation , Blood Coagulation Tests , Female , Heparin/administration & dosage , Heparin/therapeutic use , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Multiple Myeloma/blood , Multiple Myeloma/diagnosis , Multiple Myeloma/therapy , Remission Induction , Thrombophilia/drug therapyABSTRACT
Sensitive methods for assessment of the hemostatic state are essential for providing adequate therapy to patients with ß-thalassemia. The present study was designed to monitor the changes in the hemostatic state of a patient with ß-thalassemia at the primary stage and under heparin treatment following splenectomy. The hemostatic state of the patient was assessed using conventional tests (activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin index, thrombin time), fibrinogen and D-dimer assays, thromboelastography (TEG), thrombin generation test, and a novel thrombodynamics clot growth assay. Thrombodynamics parameters indicated the hypercoagulation state on the primary evaluation which progressed after splenectomy: stationary clot growth velocity increased from 32 to 38 µm/min (normal range 20-30 µm/min). Hypercoagulation state was confirmed by Doppler echocardiography, which detected portal vein thrombosis on day 23 after surgery. The results of the other tests' parameters were in the normal ranges before splenectomy. The TEG parameters were sensitive to low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) injections; but the values were close to the normal ranges before and after injections. The thrombodynamics assay demonstrated a high sensitivity to LMWH injections, and registered a decrease of the hypercoagulability in the course of therapy (P < 0.05). TGT was not performed during LMWH therapy. This clinical case demonstrates the potential of the thrombodynamics assay to serve as a sensitive method for coagulation system monitoring and prediction of prothrombotic tendencies in patients with hemolytic anemias.
