Summary
Using a newly described test of platelet function which measured the ability of platelets washed free of plasma to generate thrombin in vitro, a study was made of patients undergoing surgery. Samples of platelets were taken before and immediately after operation in 27 cases. In 10 cases there was a significant increase in thromboplastin generation by these washed platelets, and 8 of these cases developed postoperative deep vein thrombosis. In a further 17 cases both pre- and post-operative tests were within the normal range, and only 2 of these cases developed deep vein thrombosis. It is thought that this test makes use to a significant degree of the throm- boplastic properties of the platelet surface, and it is suggested that alteration in these surface properties during operation may be, to some extent, responsible for the deep vein thrombosis in the post-operative period.
