TY - JOUR
T1 - Epidural anesthesia prevents hypercoagulation in patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery
AU - Hollmann, M. W.
AU - Wieczorek, K. S.
AU - Smart, M.
AU - Durieux, M. E.
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - Epidural anesthesia (EA) is known to reduce postoperative thromboembolic complications, but mechanisms are incompletely understood. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that local anesthetics (LA) prevent postoperative hypercoagulability without affecting physiologic aggregation and coagulation processes. Clot signature analysis (CSA) was used to assess platelet and clotting function. Venous blood samples were collected pre- and postoperatively from 41 patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery. The effect of surgery on 3 CSA parameters (platelet-mediated hemostasis time [PHT], clotting time [CT], and collagen-induced thrombus formation [CITF]) was determined in patients receiving EA (n = 20) and those receiving general anesthesia (GA) (n = 21). In the GA group, orthopedic surgery induced a hypercoagulable state: PHT was reduced by 39% +/- 8.6% (P <.001), CT by 21% +/- 3.3% (P <.001), CITF by 10.3% +/- 5.9% (P =.06) compared with respective baseline values. In the EA group, by contrast, no parameter was altered significantly, but PHT showed a tendency towards prolongation by 33.2% +/- 15.4% (P =.25). CT changed by 0% +/- 4.4% (P =.89), CITF by 3.8% +/- 7% (P =.78). Use of EA prevents immediate postoperative hypercoagulability without affecting physiologic aggregation and coagulation processes. Also, CSA appears useful in predicting hypercoagulability and detecting platelet dysfunction. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2001;26:215-222
AB - Epidural anesthesia (EA) is known to reduce postoperative thromboembolic complications, but mechanisms are incompletely understood. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that local anesthetics (LA) prevent postoperative hypercoagulability without affecting physiologic aggregation and coagulation processes. Clot signature analysis (CSA) was used to assess platelet and clotting function. Venous blood samples were collected pre- and postoperatively from 41 patients undergoing major orthopedic surgery. The effect of surgery on 3 CSA parameters (platelet-mediated hemostasis time [PHT], clotting time [CT], and collagen-induced thrombus formation [CITF]) was determined in patients receiving EA (n = 20) and those receiving general anesthesia (GA) (n = 21). In the GA group, orthopedic surgery induced a hypercoagulable state: PHT was reduced by 39% +/- 8.6% (P <.001), CT by 21% +/- 3.3% (P <.001), CITF by 10.3% +/- 5.9% (P =.06) compared with respective baseline values. In the EA group, by contrast, no parameter was altered significantly, but PHT showed a tendency towards prolongation by 33.2% +/- 15.4% (P =.25). CT changed by 0% +/- 4.4% (P =.89), CITF by 3.8% +/- 7% (P =.78). Use of EA prevents immediate postoperative hypercoagulability without affecting physiologic aggregation and coagulation processes. Also, CSA appears useful in predicting hypercoagulability and detecting platelet dysfunction. Reg Anesth Pain Med 2001;26:215-222
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1053/rapm.2001.23209
DO - https://doi.org/10.1053/rapm.2001.23209
M3 - Article
C2 - 11359220
SN - 1098-7339
VL - 26
SP - 215
EP - 222
JO - Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
JF - Regional anesthesia and pain medicine
IS - 3
ER -