title: Half life and incorporation into venous thrombi of the normally occurring plasma fibrinogen fractions HMW and LMW.
abstract: The main plasma fibrinogen species, high molecular weight fibrinogen (HMW, mw. 340,000) and LMW (mw. 305,000), displaying different in vitro properties, were examined as to half-life and incorporation into venous thrombi (DVT). Total plasma fibrinogen and relative amounts of HMW were measured pre- and postoperatively in eighteen patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty, and related to the occurrence of deep vein thrombosis, as determined by the fibrinogen uptake test (FUT). Total fibrinogen and HMW did not disclose significant differences between scan-negative and scan-positive groups. HMW and LMW, prepared from purified fibrinogen, were labelled with I125 and I131, injected simultaneously and the incorporation into thrombi registered by leg-scanning. In 5 patients demonstrating a positive FUT, HMW as well as LMW were incorporated approximately to the same extent. This result implies that neither of these fibrinogen fractions offer any advantage as compared to ordinary fibrinogen when used for FUT. The half-lives of HMW and LMW were calculated from the elimination curves of the plasma clot-radioactivity. In all the surgical patients (n = 10) as well as in the two medical DVT-patients and in two healthy volunteers the half-life of LMW was approximately 10% longer than that of HMW.
mesh_terms: D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011183:Postoperative Complications / Q000097:blood; D013924:Thrombophlebitis / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D005340:Fibrinogen