Thrombomodulin (TM), thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), plasmin-α2-plasmininhibitor complex (PIC), and tissue plasminogen activator-inhibitor complex (t-PAIC) assessment of fibrinolytic activity in postpartum hemorrhage: a retrospective comparative cohort study

BACKGROUND: Detecting the changes of coagulation function in the early stage of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), which is the leading cause of maternal death, is the key to treatment this serious disease, however, there is less effective assessment methods. Thrombomodulin (TM), thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), plasmin-α2-plasmininhibitor complex (PIC), and tissue plasminogen activator-inhibitor complex (t-PAIC) are the new direct indicators for coagulation and fibrinolysis, and considered sensitive molecular markers of the fibrinolytic system changing. The aim of this study was to investigate the changes of these 4 new indicators in the early stage of PPH. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed the new coagulate indicators, TM, TAT, PIC, and t-PAIC, obtained from PPH patients at Guangzhou Women and Children’s Medical Center from January 2021 to July 2021. According to the amount of blood loss, the patients were divided into 3 groups: Mild group (blood loss <1,500 mL, n=17), Severe group (blood loss ≥1,500 mL, n=24); another 12 women who did not experience PPH were selected as the Normal group (n=12). The four indicators were measured at the time of PPH happened, or immediately when baby was born in the Normal group, and evaluated for the prediction of PPH. RESULTS: The t-PAIC level of the Severe group was significantly lower than the other 2 groups (Normal group vs. Mild group vs. Severe group: 13.9±2.0 vs. 9.4±1.8 vs. 7.5±0.9, P=0.020), and the PIC level was the highest (Normal group vs. Mild group vs. Severe group: 1.1±0.2 vs. 2.7±0.8 vs. 2.9±0.6, P=0.012). There was no significant difference in TM and TAT among the 3 groups. The odds ratio (OR) value of t-PAIC was 0.822, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.697–0.970, P=0.020. The area under the curve (AUC) of PIC was 0.5, and t-PAIC was 0.775, the cut-off point was 6.295, the specificity was 75%, and the sensitivity was 75%. CONCLUSIONS: With the increasing of blood loss, t-PAIC decreased gradually, and is associated with severe PPH. This indicator may be a new predictor of PPH, and should be used in the early period of PPH for treatment.