Fibrinogen and fibrin derivatives in traumatized patients: relation to injury severity and posttraumatic pulmonary dysfunction.

In a prospective study including 30 traumatized patients, levels of fibrinogen, fibrinopeptide A (FpA), fibrin monomers (FM) and fibrin degradation products (FbDP) were measured on admission and on days 1, 2, 3 and 7 after the incident. High levels of FpA, FM and FbDP were observed immediately after the trauma. Fibrinogen levels increased during the first 7 posttraumatic days whereas FpA and FM decreased. FbDP was significantly higher on day 7 than on day 3. All variables were to some extent correlated to the injury severity score. FbDP were significantly lower on the day after admission in 4 patients who developed pulmonary dysfunction compared with patients without this complication.