Effects of Nafamostat Mesilate on Platelets and Coagulofibrinolysis During Cardiopulmonary Bypass Surgery

Abstract

The effect of nafamostat mesilate (FUT-175) on platelet membrane glycoproteins and the coagulofibrinolytic system were analyzed. Twenty-five patients undergoing aorto-coronary bypass surgery were randomly distributed into an FUT treated group and a control group. In the control group, anticoagulation was achieved with sodium heparin (3 mg/kg) immediately before cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB). In the FUT treated group, in addition to the usual treatment with heparin, FUT-175 was infused continuously at a rate of 2 mg/kg/hr. In the control group, alpha 2 plasmin inhibitor/plasmin complex (PIC) and fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products (FDP) D-dimer increased significantly during CPB, reaching 6.1 +/- 5.1 micrograms/ml and 576 +/- 200 ng/ml, respectively, at 60 min of CPB. PIC and FDP D-dimer remained significantly lower in the FUT treated group than in the control group. GPIb on platelets decreased significantly in both groups, but remained higher in the FUT treated group (81 +/- 5% vs. 56 +/- 21% at 60 min of CPB, P < 0.01). There were no significant changes in GPIIb/IIIa on platelets throughout the procedure in either group. Blood loss after CPB was significantly lower in the FUT treated group than in the control group (778 +/- 277 ml vs. 1,342 +/- 426 ml, P < 0.01). The authors conclude that FUT-175 improves hemostasis after CPB, not only by inhibiting fibrinolysis, but also by preserving platelet GPIb during CPB.