Coagulation Studies of Cord Blood, with Special Reference to “Fetal Fibrinogen”
SummaryThe last phase of the clotting mechanisms was investigated in cord blood of 118 mature newborns.The most prominent finding was a prolonged thrombin time, not due to heparin. It was accompanied in most cases by a low fibrinogen and in some by a gelatinous appearance of the clot and a paracoagulation of the serum. This association was found to be usually due to in vitro fibrinogenolysis with consequent appearance of fibrinogen split products.In 9 cases the prolonged thrombin time was not obviously due to fibrinogen degradation products. The possibilities of the presence of high molecular weight fibrinogen degradation products or of a special characteristic of cord blood fibrinogen leading to a delayed fibrinogen-fibrin conversion are considered.