The effect of fibrinolytic stimulation by stanozolol on postoperative pulmonary complications

Platelet aggregation in the lungs is common following abdominal surgery and may contribute to postoperative hypoxaemia. The hypothesis that an anabolic steroid, stanozolol, by preventing fibrinolytic shutdown, would prevent postoperative hypoxaemia was tested. Fifty patients undergoing abdominal surgery were randomly allocated to receive either placebo or stanozolol. Despite preventing fibrinolytic shutdown in most patients, the use of stanozolol did not influence the extent of postoperative hypoxaemia or the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications. These results suggest that fibrinolysis does not play a significant part in the pathogenesis of postoperative pulmonary dysfunction.