Mechanisms for elevated fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products in acute
experimental pulmonary embolism
J Cade, J Hirsh and E Regoeczi
The mechanism and significance of elevated levels of serum fibrin
degradation products (FDP) in pulmonary embolism were investigated
experimentally. Dogs were embolized with autologous blood clot-
incorporating canine 125I-fibrin and were infused with either saline,
heparin, or streptokinase. Serial measurements were made of total FDP by
hemagglutination inhibition assay and of radioactive FDP. After saline, the
peak level of total FDP was 323 mug/ml, but radioactive FDP was only 8
mug/ml. After heparin, these values were 44 and 11 mug/ml, respectively,
and after streptokinase, 415 and 20 mug/ml. The results suggest that under
these experimental conditions the elevated levels of FDP in pulmonary
embolism are derived mainly from lysis of fibrin deposited after
embolization rather than from lysis of the original embolus. Heparin
inhibits both fibrin deposition and elevation of FDP levels after embolism.
Volume 45,
Issue 4,
pp. 563-568,
04/01/1975
Copyright © 1975 by The American Society of Hematology