[Disorders of haemostasis in postoperative septicaemia (author's transl)].

In 27 patients suffering from postoperative septicaemia blood coagulation was analysed. All these patients had chronic consumption coagulopathy, which could be demonstrated under controlled heparin medication. The high fibrinogen concentrations detected immunologically or by heat coagulation had to be revised compared with a method which only recorded clottable fibrinogen. This difference has to be explained by the existence of fibrinolytic split products, fibrin monomers and its complexes with fibrinogen. In all courses an extreme decrease of antithrombin III could be noticed. The results obtained make the necessity of long time heparin therapy dubious.