title: Increased thrombin generation and fibrinogen level after therapeutic plasma transfusion: relation to bleeding.
abstract: In a clinical setting, fresh frozen plasma (FFP) is transfused to diluted patients with complicated surgery or trauma, as guided by prolonged conventional coagulation times or low fibrinogen levels. However, the limited sensitivity of these coagulation tests may restrict their use in measuring the effect of transfusion and hence predicting the risk of perioperative bleeding. We used the more sensitive, calibrated automated thrombogram (CAT) method to evaluate the result of therapeutic FFP transfusion to 51 patients with dilutional coagulopathy. Thrombin generation was measured in pre- and post-transfusion plasma samples in the presence of either platelets or phospholipids. For all patients, the transfusion led to higher plasma coagulation factor levels, a shortened activated partial thromboplastin time, and a significant increase in thrombin generation (peak height and endogenous thrombin potential). Interestingly, thrombin generation parameters and fibrinogen levels were higher in post-transfusion plasmas from patients who stopped bleeding (n = 32) than for patients with ongoing bleeding (n = 19). Plasmas from 15 of the 19 patients with ongoing bleeding were markedly low in either thrombin generation or fibrinogen level. We conclude that the thrombin generation method detects improved haemostatic activity after plasma transfusion. Furthermore, the data suggest that thrombin generation and fibrinogen are independent determinants of the risk of perioperative bleeding in this patient group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry (CARIM), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Saskia E M
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Schols
authors.forename: Paola E J
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: van der Meijden
authors.forename: René
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Oerle
authors.forename: Joyce
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Curvers
authors.forename: Johan W M
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Heemskerk
authors.forename: Elisabeth C M
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: van Pampus
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000991:Antithrombins / Q000378:metabolism; D001777:Blood Coagulation; D001780:Blood Coagulation Tests / Q000379:methods*; D016063:Blood Loss, Surgical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D001803:Blood Transfusion; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010314:Partial Thromboplastin Time; D010976:Platelet Count; D019106:Postoperative Hemorrhage / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control*; D011516:Prothrombin / Q000378:metabolism; D011517:Prothrombin Time; D018570:Risk Assessment; D013917:Thrombin / Q000378:metabolism*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D000991:Antithrombins; D011516:Prothrombin; D005340:Fibrinogen; D013917:Thrombin