PLATELET FUNCTIONS AND HEMOSTASIS PARAMETERS IN PIGS - ABSENCE OF SIDE-EFFECTS OF A PROCEDURE OF GENERAL-ANESTHESIA

Pigs are largely used as experimental animal models of thrombosis and for testing the anti thrombotic drug efficacy. Generally experiments a re performed on pigs under general anaesthesia and observations can be affected by the anaesthetic drugs used. The effects of a general anae sthetic procedure were checked on pig haemostasis parameters; the pig was pre-anaesthetized with ketamine chloride, then intubated and venti lated with a mixture containing halothane, nitrous oxide and oxygen. B leeding time, platelet aggregations, coagulation factors, coagulation inhibitors, fibrinolysis parameters and markers of activation of coagu lation were determined on 30 Large White pigs before and under this an aesthesia procedure. Compared to human coagulation, pig is characteriz ed by very high levels of factor V, VIII, IX, XI, XII activities, same levels of factor II, fibrinogen, antithrombin III (ATIII), low levels of protein C activities. Thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) and tiss ue plasminogen activator antigen (tPA) values were dispersed. With the reagents used, protein S, prothrombin fragment 1+2 (F1+2), D Dimers ( D-D), plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAi) levels could not be determ ined. No difference was observed between results obtained before and u nder anaesthesia, particularly no increase of bleeding time, no modifi cation of platelet aggregations and no activation of coagulation. This anaesthetic procedure does not induce any modification of pig haemost asis and can be used, without side effects, for experimental thrombosi s studies in pigs.