Fibrinogen Catabolism in Patients with Postoperative Infectious Complications

Abstract

The biological half-life (T_B) of ¹²⁵I-fibrinogen was studied in21 surgical patients, using a precordial counting technique. T_B was calculated for the first 4 postoperative days (first phase) and for the 5th to 10th days (second phase). Daily calculations of T_B were undertaken in 15 patients. In patients with a normal postoperative course, T_B was 2.31 days (first phase) and 3.80 days (second phase). In patients with a postoperative infectious complication (PIC), T_B was 1.74 days (first phase) and 2.21 days (second phase), which was significantly shorter than corresponding values in patients with normal postoperative course. The mean of the daily values of T_B was significantly shorter in the second phase in patients with PICs compared to those with a normal postoperative course. Co-variance analysis of daily T_B in the first and second phases showed no significant difference in 25/30 phases (83%). It is suggested that T_B of ¹²⁵I-fibrinogen can be used as a complement to the clinical diagnosis of PIC. Further studies are desirable to confirm the method.