[Blood coagulation activity and fibrinolysis in umbilical vein blood of healthy and asphyxiated newborn infants]

Abstract

In two groups of 35 healthy and 15 asphyctic newborns the factors of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis were determined and compared with the normal values of non-pregnant women. The study demonstrates an increased coagulability and increased fibrinolytic activity at decreased levels of most of the single factors in the umbilical vein blood of the newborn. There is a statistically significant decrease of the concentration of plasminogen and increase of the concentration of fibrin degradation products and fibrin monomers in the groups of asphyctic newborns as compared with healthy newborns. These results may be considered as factors in the etiology of the respiratory distress syndrome of the newborn resulting in the formation of hyaline membranes. An increased tendency to hemorrhages in asphyctic newborn due to a hypocoagulation of the umbilical vein blood cannot be suggested by these results. The study confirms and supplements previous research findings from our laboratory and from others reported in the literature.