Pancreaticoduodenectomy using perioperative zymogen protein C to help prevent blood clotting: a trilogy on increased patient safety.

ABSTRACT

The blood clotting mechanism is a very important and complex physiologic process. Blood flow must be continuous through the blood vessels to provide essential oxygen and nutrients to the cells of the body. Dr. Melvin H. Knisely (Honorary First President of ISOTT, 1973) named and pioneered research in blood sludging and clotting which led to his nomination for the Nobel Prize by Dr. August Krogh in 1948. Abnormal clotting is a pathological state that can inhibit and prevent normal blood flow, leading to reduced oxygen transport to tissue from the microcirculation. It can result in the death of cells and tissues, including entire organs as well as the patient. Blood clotting and sludging are common occurrences during and after invasive surgery; thus, it is imperative to find safe procedures to reduce or prevent these deadly phenomena. All anticoagulants used today, for clot prevention and dissolution, can cause excessive bleeding that can lead to enormous medical expense to provide control, otherwise causing patient death. Protein C is a natural protein and is the pivotal anticoagulant in the blood. Due to the mechanism of converting the zymogen protein C (ZPC) to active protein C (APC), only when and where it is needed, and their respective half-lives in the body, the natural anticoagulant, antithrombotic characteristics of APC can be utilized without causing bleeds.