DETERMINATION OF COAGULATION INHIBITOR LEVELS AND RESISTANCE TO ACTIVATED PROTEIN-C IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING GASTRIC-SURGERY FOR BENIGN AND MALIGNANT DISORDERS

The aim of the present study was to determine plasma levels of protein C antigen (PC:Ag) and activity (PC:Act), tissue factor pathway inhibi tor (TFPI), protein S (PS), antithrombin (AT), heparin cofactor II (HC II), and resistance to activated protein C (APCR) before, during and a fter elective gastric surgery in order to compare patients with and wi thout gastric malignancy. Blood was collected from a forearm vein of t wo age-matched patient groups undergoing elective gastric surgery, 9 p atients with and 9 patients without gastric malignancy. The plasma lev els of the parameters were determined preoperatively, intraoperatively , and on days 1 and 7 postoperatively. On the Ist and 7th postoperativ e day, plasma levels of HCII were significantly lower in patients oper ated for gastric malignancy than in those operated for benign disorder s, but levels of TFPI, PC:Act, PC:Ag, AT, PS and APCR did not differ i n the postoperative period. The day-to-day variation was also rather s imilar in the two patient groups.