Related Experiment Videos
Use of antithrombin III in critical patients
J M Díaz-Cremades1, R Lorenzo, M Sánchez
1Department of Hematology, Hospital Insular, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
Objective:
To evaluate the effect of the AT III concentrates upon the clinical evolution and hemostatic parameters.
Design:
Prospective, open, randomized trial.
Patients And Participants:
Septic and multiple trauma patients admitted to our Intensive Care Unit.
Setting:
Levels of AT III below 70% were used as criteria to choose 36 patients, 20 of whom received treatment with AT III and 16 did not.
Interventions:
AT III concentrates were administered at an initial dose of 60 U/kg followed by 10 U/kg every six hours.
Results:
The administration of AT III neither contributes to alterations in haemostasis, nor the clinical evolution (evaluated according to Apache II score).
Conclusions:
The results suggest that the administration of AT III concentrates to critical patients with acquired low levels, but without manifest DIC, may not be justified; although further studies on a larger population are required to establish definite conclusions.