Plasma fibrinogen levels in acute pancreatitis
Shearer, M.G.; Campbell, F.C.; Walker, I.D.; Davidson, J.F.; Imrie, C.W.
Journal of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh 30(4): 245-247
1985
ISSN/ISBN: 0035-8835 PMID: 4057142 Document Number: 251357
It has been contended that plasma fibrinogen may be as reliable a predictor of severe disease in patients with acute pancreatitic (AP) as multifactorial assesement. From prospective studies involving 181 patients with AP in whom extensive monitoring of 13 haematological parameters was performed we have reviewed the data for the plasma fibrinogen and describe below the response over the first 7 days of hospital admission. There were 9 deaths; 25 patients had significant complications. All but 5 of these 34 patients had fibrinogen levels above normal at some time during their acute attack. The fibrinogen results of the patients assessed as having severe disease were significantly higher than those assessed as mild, but an individual fibrinogen result did not consistently select patients who developed complications and it was not as efficient as the grading system in predicting disease severity.