Interpretation of hemostatic and fibrinolytic markers

Blood dose not normally coagulate in the blood vessels covered with endothelial cells, because these cells contain some substances responsible for antithrombotic action such as thrombomodulin, heparin-like substance, prostacyclin, nitric oxide and tissue plasminogen activator. Most important role of blood coagulation is hemostasis. Blood can coagulate in two ways: intrinsic coagulation pathway and extrinsic coagulation pathway that is activated by negatively charged substances and FVIIa-tissue-factor (TF) complex, respectively. Prothrombin time(PT) can represent extrinsic pathway, while activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) can represent intrinsic pathway. PT is prolonged in such diseases as vitamin K deficiency, hepatic failure and warfarin intake, while APTT is prolonged such diseases as hemophilia A & B, von Willebrand disease and lupus anticoagulant. Cross mixing test is very useful to assess prolonged clotting time. FDP means fibrin/fibrinogen degradation products and D-dimer is the smallest products of fibrin degradation. These markers are often used to diagnose disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) and plasmin-alpha2 plasmin inhibitor (PIC) can be used to evaluate the extent of coagulation and fibrinolysis activation, respectively. These two markers is essential for classify the pathophysiology of DIC: DIC with suppressed fibrinolysis, enhanced fibrinolysis or balanced fibrinolysis. In conclusion, exact interpretation of hemostatic and fibrinolytic markers is one of the most important abilities in clinical situation.