Blood fibrinolytic activity during major surgery in unsupplemented glucocorticoid-treated patients

Blood clot lysis time (BLT) and plasma cortisol concentration were measured during major abdominal surgery in 15 unsupplemented glucocorticoid-treated patients. Eight patients showed an impaired cortisol response and seven patients had normal cortisol concentrations when compared with the cortisol response of 23 control patients with normal pituitary-adrenal function. There was no statistically significant difference between variations of BLT in the group of patients with impaired cortisol response and patients with normal cortisol concentrations. It is concluded that stress-induced activation of blood fibrinolysis is coincidental with, but independent of, adrenocortical activity.