AJP - Heart Ad Instruments
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 287: H818-H822, 2004. First published March 25, 2004; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.01197.2003
0363-6135/04 $5.00
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
287/2/H818    most recent
01197.2003v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Morris, T. A.
Right arrow Articles by Loza, O.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Morris, T. A.
Right arrow Articles by Loza, O.

Embolization itself stimulates thrombus propagation in pulmonary embolism

Timothy A. Morris,1 James J. Marsh,1 Peter G. Chiles,1 Craig A. Pedersen,1 Ronald G. Konopka,1 Anthony C. Gamst,2 and Oralia Loza2

1Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine and 2Department of Family and Preventative Medicine, Division of Biostatistics, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California 92093

Submitted 6 October 2003 ; accepted in final form 23 March 2004

The role of active thrombosis in the pathophysiology of pulmonary embolism is unclear. We tested the hypothesis that venous thrombi significantly increase their thrombotic activity once they embolize into the high-flow circulation of the pulmonary arteries. Thrombotic activity was measured using an immunoassay that measures both fibrinopeptide B (FPB) as well as its most abundant metabolite des-arginine FPB. Thrombi were formed in the femoral veins of adult dogs. In one group, the thrombi were embolized without anticoagulation. In the second group, heparin (300 U/kg bolus, then 90 U·kg–1·h–1 infusion) was administered before embolization to prevent subsequent thrombotic activity. Plasma FPB concentrations were significantly suppressed in the heparinized group relative to the nonheparinized group for 1 h postembolization (P = 0.038). We conclude that pulmonary embolization itself causes preexisting venous thrombi to greatly intensify their thrombotic activity and that embolization-associated thrombus propagation can be prevented by heparin.

thrombosis; anticoagulants; heparin


Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: T. A. Morris, UCSD Medical Ctr., 200 West Arbor Dr., San Diego, CA 92103-8378 (E-mail: t1morris{at}ucsd.edu).






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Visit Other APS Journals Online
Copyright © 2004 by the American Physiological Society.