DIET AND THROMBUS FORMATION: QUANTITATIVE STUDIES USING AN EXTRACORPOREAL CIRCULATION IN PIGS*

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The effect of several habitual diets differing principally in their fat content on some blood coagulation tests, serum lipids and thrombus formation in a high flow pulsatile system in swine were studied. Four diets were used, low fat, lard enriched, lard + cholesterol enriched, and egg-yolk enriched. Significant differences were produced in the platelet adhesive index, which was higher in the pigs receiving added fat than in the control group. None of the other coagulation tests showed any significant differences. Similar results were revealed by comparison of the weight of deposit formed in the extracorporeal shunts, a mean weight of deposit lower in the control group than in the other groups (p< 0.02), but there were no significant differences otherwise. The egg-yolk diet produced the highest mean weight of deposit. There was no difference between the mean weights of deposits for the group given lard, and that given lard plus added cholesterol, although serum cholesterol was nearly twice as high in the latter group. For a given diet, however, there is a significant correlation (r = + 0.43, p<0.02) between blood cholesterol level and weight of thrombus. Serum cholesterol, phospholipids and lipoproteins, with almost perfect uniformity, were highest in the lard cholesterol group, next highest in the egg-yolk group, and least in the control group.