Acquired Abnormalities of Platelet Function

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Abstract
To the Editor: In their comprehensive Medical Progress article (Jan. 3 issue),1 George and Shattil made no mention of the acquired reversible platelet dysfunction produced by hypothermia. Our studies in baboons,2 hypothermic patients subjected to extracorporeal bypass,3 , 4 and normal volunteers have shown that hypothermia produces reversible platelet dysfunction and that a reduction in skin temperature produces an increase in template bleeding time.We studied the effect of local skin temperature on bleeding time in 10 normal subjects (5 men and 5 women) between the ages of 19 and 29 years who were taking no medications (Fig. 1). The mean (±SD) . . .