Thromb Haemostasis
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Although prothrombin complex concentrate (PCC) is increasingly used for the treatment of trauma-induced coagulopathy, few studies have investigated the impact and safety of PCC for this indication. The present study was performed to assess PCC for treatment of coagulopathy after blunt liver injury under severe hypothermia. Coagulopathy in 14 anaesthetised pigs was induced by haemodilution. ⋯ In severely hypothermic pigs, the application of PCC corrected trauma-induced coagulopathy and reduced blood loss. Thus, the infusion of PCC might be a reasonable approach to reduce the need for blood cell transfusion in trauma. Furthermore, the impact and safety of PCC application can be monitored through thrombin generation and thromboelastometry under hypothermia.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Atorvastatin reduces thrombin generation and expression of tissue factor, P-selectin and GPIIIa on platelet-derived microparticles in patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease.
We investigated the effects of statin treatment on platelet-derived microparticles (PMPs) and thrombin generation in atherothrombotic disease. Nineteen patients with peripheral arterial occlusive disease were randomised to eight weeks of treatment with atorvastatin or placebo in a cross-over fashion. Expression of GPIIIa (CD61), P-selectin (CD62P), tissue factor (TF, CD142) and phosphatidylserine (PS; annexin-V or lactadherin binding) was assessed on PMPs. ⋯ In conclusion, atorvastatin reduces thrombin generation and expression of TF, GPIIIa and P-selectin on PMPs in patients with peripheral vascular disease. Microparticle-bound TF slightly enhances initiation of thrombin generation whereas negatively charged surfaces provided by MPs or lipoproteins could reinforce thrombin generation. Statins may inhibit initiation of thrombin generation partly through a microparticle dependent mechanism but the main effect is probably through reduction of lipoprotein levels.
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Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the leading cause of maternal death in the Western world, and the risk increases during pregnancy and puerperal period. It was the objective of the present study to estimate the absolute and the relative risk of VTE at different weeks of gestation and in the postnatal period as compared to non-pregnant women. This was a historical controlled national cohort study. ⋯ The absolute risk of VTE per 10,000 pregnancy-years increased from 4.1 (95% CI, 3.2 to 5.2) during week 1-11 up to 59.0 (95% CI: 46.1 to 76.4) in week 40 and decreased in the puerperal period from 60.0 (95% CI:47.2-76.4) during the first week after birth to 2.1 (95% CI:1.1 to 4.2) during week 9-12 after birth. Compared with non-pregnant women, the incidence rate ratio rose from 1.5 (95% CI:1.1 to 1.9) in week 1-11, to 21.0 (95%CI16.7 to 27.4) in week 40 and 21.5 (95% CI:16.8 to 27.6) in the first week after delivery, declining to 3.8 (95% CI:2.5 to 5.8) 5-6 weeks after delivery. In conclusion, the risk of VTE increases almost exponentially through pregnancy and reaches maximum just after delivery and is no longer significantly increased six weeks after delivery.
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Platelets play a central role in coagulation. Currently, information on platelet function following trauma is limited. We performed a retrospective analysis of patients admitted to the emergency room (ER) at the AUVA Trauma Centre, Salzburg, after sustaining traumatic injury. ⋯ Aggregometry values below the normal range for ADPtest and TRAPtest were significantly more frequent in non-survivors than in survivors (p=0.0017 and p=0.0002, respectively). Minor decreases in platelet function upon admission to the ER were a sign of coagulopathy accompanying increased mortality in patients with trauma. Further studies are warranted to confirm these results and investigate the role of platelet function in trauma haemostatic management.
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Acquired von Willebrand syndrome (AVWS) may complicate severe aortic valve stenosis, due to a reduction in the haemostatically more efficient large von Willebrand factor (VWF) multimers. This study was designed to analyse the relevance of VWF abnormalities and haemorrhagic diathesis in severe aortic valve stenosis. Forty-one consecutive patients undergoing valve replacement were investigated: seven had minor bleeding symptoms in their recent history; 10 (24.3%) had a reduced VWF collagen binding (VWF:CB) to VWF antigen ratio, and 33 (80.5%) had a decrease in large VWF multimers. ⋯ Bleeders differed from non-bleeders in that they had a higher mean transvalvular gradient and a more marked decrease in large VWF multimers. VWF abnormalities did not exacerbate peri-operative blood loss, however - a finding consistent with the full correction of these VWF abnormalities, seen already on the first postoperative day and persisting for up to six months after surgery. According to the data obtained in our cohort of patients VWF abnormalities are common in severe aortic stenosis, particularly in cases of rheumatic valve disease, but loss of the largest multimers does not seem to cause clinical bleeding in most patients.