Haemostatic and fibrinolytic responses to bone marrow transplantation

Thrombin and plasmin activation markers were serially measured in 80 patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation (BMT). There were prothrombotic and fibrinolytic responses observed during autograft and allograft BMTs. Thrombin-antithrombin and prothrombin fragment F1+2 levels increased from day -7 to -3 (P<0.0001) from 3.7 to 7 ng/ml and 1.2 to 1.63 nmol/l, respectively. A rise in plasmin-antiplasmin levels occurred between days 4 and 14 (P< 0.0004), from 393 ng/ml on day -7 to a peak of 795 ng/ml on day 11. No correlation between reduced protein C levels post-BMT and a prothrombotic state was observed.