Thromb Haemost 1989; 62(04): 1050-1052
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1647115
Original Article
Clinical Studies
Schattauer GmbH Stuttgart

Thrombin-Antithrombin III Complexes in the Prediction of Deep Vein Thrombosis Following Total Hip Replacement

J A Hoek
1   The Centre for Hemostasis, Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
,
M T Nurmohamed
1   The Centre for Hemostasis, Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
,
J W ten Cate
1   The Centre for Hemostasis, Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
,
H R Büller
1   The Centre for Hemostasis, Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
,
H C Knipscheer
1   The Centre for Hemostasis, Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
,
K J Hamelynck
2   The Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Slotervaart Ziekenhuis, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
,
R K Marti
3   The Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
,
A Sturk
1   The Centre for Hemostasis, Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research, Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Received 02 March 1989

Accepted after revision 12 September 1989

Publication Date:
24 July 2018 (online)

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Summary

In 196 consecutive patients who underwent elective total hip surgery we investigated the diagnostic accuracy of the thrombinantithrombin III complex immunoassay, as assessed on the first, fourth and tenth postoperative day, for the development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Patients received either LMWheparinoid (n = 97) or placebo (n = 99) and underwent contrast venography on the tenth postoperative day.

Thrombin-antithrombin III (T-AT) plasma levels were raised in all patients on the first postoperative day and gradually decreased during the study period. T-AT plasma levels were significantly higher in patients developing DVT when compared to patients without DVT and remained so until day 10. This difference was apparent both in the LMW-heparinoid group as well as in the placebo-treated patients.

ROC-curve analysis revealed no satisfactory discriminative power for the diagnosis of developing DVT at any of the studied cut-off values for T-AT.

We conclude that the postoperative determination of T-AT complex plasma concentrations in hip surgery patients has no clinical utility in the prediction of postoperative DVT.