POST-OPERATIVE HAeMORRHAGE AND RELATED ABNORMALITIES OF BLOOD COAGULATION IN CYANOTIC CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Blood coagulation has been studied in 40 patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease, 10 with acyanotic congenital heart disease, 7 with polycythemia rubra vera, 6 with cor pulmonale, and 9 normal people. No abnormality was found in patients with acyanotic congenital heart disease or normal people. In the cyanotic patients there was a tendency for fibrinogen deficiency and thrombocytopenia, but the most frequently encountered abnormality was depression of thrombo-plastin generation. The degree of impairment of thromboplastin generation was greatest in the patients with the greatest increase in hemoglobin. Patients with primary polycythemia did not show abnormal thromboplastin generation, but patients with cor pulmonale did. The relationship of this finding to post-operative hemorrhage in cyanotic patients is discussed. It is thought that the cause of the impaired thromboplastin generation is likely to be important in causing serious bleeding and that the test is useful in predicting the occurrence of post-operative hemorrhage.