Platelet Aggregation in Patients with Laennec's Cirrhosis of the Liver

Abstract

HEMORRHAGIC disorders are common in patients with Laennec's cirrhosis of the liver, and constitute one of the main causes of death in this condition.¹ However, the nature of the hemostatic defect in cirrhosis is complex, and thrombocytopenia,² low procoagulant levels,³ abnormal plasminogen-plasmin system activity⁴ and defective fibrin polymerization⁵ have all been implicated. Current concepts of hemostasis emphasize the central role of platelets in the formation of a hemostatic plug.⁶ Interference with normal platelet function, therefore, is particularly apt to endanger hemostasis.Proteolytic degradation products of fibrinogen, produced as a result of excessive fibrinolysis, have been demonstrated in the blood of . . .