Postoperative changes in the coagulation and fibrinolytic systems in endoluminal stent-graft treatment of thoracic aortic aneurysms

We studied changes in blood coagulation and fibrinolytic system in 18 cases of thoracic aortic aneurysm and 5 cases of aortic dissection treated with stent grafts. The mean operation time was 259 ± 67 minutes and the amount of blood loss during operation was 472 ± 456 ml. Although blood transfusion of 220 ± 360 ml was performed in 7 cases, 16 of 23 cases (70%) received no homologous blood transfusion. Consequently, the endoluminal stent graft treatment was minimally invasive compared with the conventional surgical procedure. On the 1st postoperative day, platelet counts and AT-III decreased and TAT increased. The promotion of blood coagulability was found in these patients on the 1st day after the operation. Changes in the fibrinolytic system were less marked than that in coagulation. These results suggest that the thrombosed aneurysm was excluded from systemic blood flow by the stent graft. There was no consumption coagulopathy in any case with aneurysm excluded by stent graft deployment. Stent-graft treatment for thoracic aortic aneurysm can be successfully performed without consumption coagulopathy when the aneurysm is completely excluded.