Treatment of severe foot ischaemia by defibrination with ancrod: a randomized blind study.
Forty-two patients, mean age 68 years, with severe leg ischaemia were randomly treated with placebo or by controlled defibrination with ancrod for 3 weeks. Plasma fibrinogen concentration was kept at about 20% of normal in the ancrod treated group. The two groups proved to be well matched regarding factors which could affect the degree of ischaemia. Objective measurements showed a significant rise in ankle and toe systolic blood pressure in the ancrod group lasting for 3 months. There was no rise in distal blood pressure in the control group. In the ancrod treated group the toe and ankle systolic pressures rose about 8 mmHg, but this was not accompanied by an improvement in the clinical course.
D000368:Aged; D000721:Ancrod / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000842:Ankle; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007866:Leg / Q000098:blood supply*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010919:Placebos; D014034:Toes
D010919:Placebos; D000721:Ancrod