Role of tissue factor pathway inhibitor in post surgical deep venous thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis in patients treated with low molecular weight heparin

Abstract

Low molecular weight heparins (LMWHs) are now considered to be the drugs of choice for prophylaxis against deep venous thrombosis (DVT) in post operative patients undergoing both general and orthopaedic surgical procedures. Despite extensive research, the exact mechanism of the antithrombotic activity of LMWHs remains unclear. These agents have been shown to activate the fibrinolytic system and to directly inhibit both the activity and the generation of factor Xa and thrombin. New evidence suggests that LMWHs also stimulate the release of endogenous tissue factor pathway inhibitor (TFPI) from the vascular endothelium. This study was designed to investigate the role of TFPI in mediating the antithrombotic activity of LMWHs. We measured the plasma levels of TFPI in a group of post orthopaedic surgery patients treated with daily subcutaneous injections of LMWH and a group of patients treated with placebo. In the placebo group (n=25), the plasma TFPI levels were slightly elevated immediately after surgery but returned to their baseline value by the fifth post operative day. In contrast, in the group of patients treated with LMWH (n=34), the plasma levels of TFPI increased significantly and remained elevated for up to 7 days following surgery. However, the TFPI levels in both groups showed wide patient to patient variability. These results indicate that LMWHs stimulate the release of TFPI into the bloodstream of post surgical patients. This suggests the importance of TFPI in mediating the antithrombotic activity of LMWHs.