Summary
Early fibrin digests were analyzed in the ultracentrifuge and were found to contain
compounds with molecular weights up to 3 x 106; these compounds are considered to be soluble fibrin complexes. Their similarity
with intermediate polymers in inhibited clotting systems has been stressed. Their
viscosity at low shear rates is extremely high; therefore, a rapid method to establish
their presence in plasma would be the measurement of plasma and serum viscosity at
low shear rates. Moreover, they shorten the clotting time (thrombin time) of fibrinogen
considerably.