Summary
Coagulation and fibrinolysis are crucial in septic shock and inhibition of thrombin
may be beneficial in this circumstance. Since porcine endotoxaemia has been found
to replicate severe septic shock, a low molecular weight thrombin inhibitor, melagatran,
was infused during the first 3 out of 6 h of endotoxaemia in pigs. Plasma creatinine
(p <0.01) and urinary output (p <0.05) were less affected in the melagatran + endotoxin
group (n = 6) as compared to endotoxaemic controls (n = 9). The left ventricular stroke
work index, systemic vascular resistance index and oxygen extraction were all less
affected (p <0.05) by endotoxin during the infusion of melagatran. The plasma concentration
of melagatran declined with an apparent plasma half-life of 5 h as soon as the infusion
was stopped. APTT, however, continued to increase after the infusion of melagatran
had stopped and reached a maximum of 113 s at 5 h (baseline 17 s). APTT in endotoxaemic
control pigs reached a maximum of 22 s. Thus, melagatran may counteract some consequences
of endotoxaemia.