Methods of examining fibrinolysis in plasma.

Abstract

IMMUNOLOGICAL methods have been used to estimate the levels of fibrinogen and fibrin degradation products in serum samples during thrombolytic therapy and in various clinical situations. A recent report1 has suggested that methods such as the tanned red blood cell haemagglutination inhibition immunoassay2 and latex aggregation3 measure mainly the products of fibrin degradation. We wish to report on techniques which have proved useful in differentiating between the degradation products of fibrinogen and fibrin clots in whole plasma systems in vitro and which have helped in confirming results obtained4,5 using purified fibrinogen and fibrin clots.