The Detection of Hypercoagulability in Patients with Acute Cerebral Infarction Using a Clot Waveform Analysis

A few studies concerning hypercoagulable states have sufficiently been reported in patients with acute cerebral infarction (ACI), as ACI is generally considered to be caused by platelet activation. Clot waveform analyses (CWA) for activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) and small amount of tissue factor FIX activation assay (sTF/FIXa) were examined in 108 patients with ACI, 61 patients without ACI, and 20 healthy volunteers. CWA-APTT and CWA-sTF/FIXa showed that the peak heights were significantly higher in ACI patients without anticoagulant therapy than in healthy volunteers. Absorbance exceeding 78.1 mm on the 1(st) DPH in the CWA-sTF/FIXa showed the highest odds ratio for ACI. The peak heights were significantly lower in the CWA-sTF/FIXa of ACI patients receiving argatroban therapy than in those of ACI patients without anticoagulant therapy. CWA can suggest a hypercoagulable state in ACI patients and may be useful for monitoring the need for anticoagulant therapy.