[Trials of a method for assessing thromboplastic activity of monocytes in the newborn]

Trials of a method for assessment of thromboplastic activity of monocyte macrophages in 58 healthy full-term babies in the first days of life, when the hemostasis system undergoes essential changes, revealed an appreciable reduction of the basal thromboplastic activity of monocytes and of its level after 4-hour incubation of these cells on days 3-5 after birth, this reduction being paralleled by progressive hypocoagulation (as shown by coagulogram). The degree of reduction of the thromboplastic activity of monocytes was directly proportional to an increase in the level of fibrin-monomer complexes and fibrinogen degradation products in the blood plasma and serum. This indicates a possible decrease of the production of vitamin-K-dependent coagulation factors not only in the liver, but in monocytes as well. On the other hand, the detected shifts indicate that reduction of thromboplastic activity of monocytes in parallel with increased thrombin formation in the blood are biologically justified, for this decrease equilibrates the thrombogenic shifts in the system of neonatal hemostasis.