Hemostatic competency and elastase-alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor levels in surgery, trauma, and sepsis

Previous studies investigated the effects of neutrophil elastase on isolated factors in the hemostatic process. Some of these reported effects are, however, procoagulative and others anticoagulative. The aim of this study was to ascertain the effect of elastase on the in vivo hemostatic competency. The effect of elastase activity on the hemostatic competency was determined in a group of 50 surgical intensive care unit patients and 23 control subjects. Surgical intensive care unit patients were subgrouped into a surgery, a trauma, and a sepsis-multiple organ failure group. Elastase activity was assessed by elastase-alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor levels and hemostatic competency by thromboelastography. Thromboelastography results showed a relatively normal coagulative ability in the surgery group, a varying degree of thromboelastographic hypocoagulability in the trauma group, and pronounced thromboelastographic instability in the sepsis-multiple organ failure group. Increases in elastase-alpha 1-proteinase inhibitor levels up to 200 micrograms/L were accompanied by a compromised coagulative ability as seen in a prolongation of both the first and second phases of the clotting time, as well as a decrease in the maximal clot elasticity.