Activation of coagulation and fibrinolysis during reconstructive microsurgery in patients with cancer

Cancer patients are subjected to increased systemic risk of thrombotic events and may therefore be at higher risk of even local thrombosis compromising the outcome of reconstructive microsurgery. Coagulation and fibrinolysis activities were studied serially during and after reconstructive microsurgery in seven patients with oropharyngeal cancer or sarcoma in the extremities. A preoperative hypercoagulable state was found in four patients (elevated fibrinogen, TAT, F1+2, or D‐dimer); two of these patients also had a local thrombotic event. In all patients, the plasma markers generally varied perioperatively: fibrinogen decreased, whereas TAT and subsequently D‐dimer increased at the end of the operation. However, tPA and PAI‐1 remained unaltered, except in the patients with thrombosis in whom PAI‐1 activity increased progressively during the operation. F1+2 was also clearly elevated in these two patients at the time of thrombosis. Preoperative assessment of hypercoagulability for this group of patients could be helpful in targeting meticulous antithrombotic protection. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc. Microsurgery 21:208–213 2001