Fibrinogen catabolism in patients with postoperative infectious complications

The biological half-life (TB) of 125I-fibrinogen was studied in 21 surgical patients, using a precordial counting technique. TB was calculated for the first 4 postoperative days (first phase) and for the 5th to 10th days (second phase). Daily calculations of TB were undertaken in 15 patients. In patients with a normal postoperative course, TB was 2.31 days (first phase) and 3.80 days (second phase). In patients with a postoperative infectious complication (PIC), TB was 1.74 days (first phase) and 2.21 days (second phase), which was significantly shorter than corresponding values in patients with normal postoperative course. The mean of the daily values of TB was significantly shorter in the second phase in patients with PICs compared to those with a normal postoperative course. Co-variance analysis of daily TB in the first and second phases showed no significant difference in 25/30 phases (83%). It is suggested that TB of 125I-fibrinogen can be used as a complement to the clinical diagnosis of PIC. Further studies are desirable to confirm the method.