Summary
Using a newly described test of platelet function which measured the ability of platelets
washed free of plasma to generate thrombin in vitro, a study was made of patients
undergoing surgery. Samples of platelets were taken before and immediately after operation
in 27 cases. In 10 cases there was a significant increase in thromboplastin generation
by these washed platelets, and 8 of these cases developed postoperative deep vein
thrombosis. In a further 17 cases both pre- and post-operative tests were within the
normal range, and only 2 of these cases developed deep vein thrombosis. It is thought
that this test makes use to a significant degree of the throm- boplastic properties
of the platelet surface, and it is suggested that alteration in these surface properties
during operation may be, to some extent, responsible for the deep vein thrombosis
in the post-operative period.
