[Factor XIII and the risk of postoperative impaired wound healing and bleeding (author's transl)]

Factor XIII concentration was investigated pre- and postoperatively in the plasma of 139 patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. Postoperative complications (impairment of wound healing and haemorrhage) were significantly more frequently seen in patients with a low concentration of factor XIII. A low preoperative concentration of factor XIII can be interpreted as a high risk factor.