Hypothesis/aims of study. During pregnancy, hypercoagulation develops and fibrinolysis is inhibited. These changes are particularly pronounced in pregnancy complicated by preeclampsia. The existing techniques to evaluate hemostasis are rather laborious and do not provide a complete information of the volume and density of the fibrin clot. We aimed to conduct comparative studies of the state of the hemostasis system by conventional test-tube and thrombodynamic methods in healthy non-pregnant women and in pregnant women who are suffering and are not suffering from preeclampsia.
Study design, materials, and methods. We examined 40 pregnant women aged 17–33 years (mean age 24.3 ± 3.2 years) at the gestational age of 35–39 weeks. In 18 women, pregnancy was complicated by preeclampsia. The control group consisted of 35 healthy women (mean age 25.1 ± 2.6 years). The thrombodynamic characteristics of the clot were evaluated using the T-2 Thrombodynamics Recorder device (GemaKor Ltd., Russia) using the following parameters: Tlag, clot growth delay; Vi, initial growth rate; Vs, steady growth rate; D, clot density; C30, the size of the main clot in the 30th minute.
Results. When evaluating the hemostasis system by the thrombodynamic method in healthy pregnant women and in women with preeclampsia compared with non-pregnant women, the onset time of clot formation was significantly reduced, the initial and steady rate of the clot appearance, as well as the clot density and the clot size being increased.
Conclusion. The method for evaluating thrombodynamic properties of the blood clot is objective and visual way to estimate hemostasis. It complements the coagulogram indices and gives a clear view of the hemostasis system.