Disorders of hemostasis during the surgical management of severe necrotizing pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVES

Several clinical studies of severe necrotizing pancreatitis (SNP) suggest profound activation of coagulation as well as activation of the fibrinolytic system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hemostatic derangements in patients who were managed for SNP.

METHODS

Forty-one operated-on patients with SNP were analyzed regarding clinical outcome and activation of the coagulation systems. Serial measurement of coagulation, anticoagulation, and fibrinolysis parameters: prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen, antithrombin III (AT III), protein C, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1), d-dimer, alpha2-antiplasmin, and plasminogen were performed on days 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, and 14 after the initial operation. According to treatment outcome at the end of study, groups of 26 survivors and 15 nonsurvivors were compared.

RESULTS

Nonsurvivors had significantly lower levels of activity of protein C and AT III, and higher concentrations of d-dimer and PAI-1 than survivors. The other measured parameters did not show significant differences between the compared groups of patients.

CONCLUSIONS

Changes in protein C, AT III, d-dimer and PAI-1 levels indicate exhaustion of fibrinolysis and coagulation inhibitors in patients with poor outcome during the course of SNP.