RETROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF THE INFLUENCE OF ANTIBIOTICS ON THE CASCADE OF COAGULATION

Abstract

Prothrombin time (PT) and partial thromboplastine time (PTT) were analysed retrospectively in 62 patients with respiratory infections treated with antibiotics through 1977 to 1979, and three other cases receiving hemodialysis were also observed on their cascade of coagulation after intravenous administration of carbenicillin (CBPC). Although slight abnormality of coagulant activity was observed in some cases after treatment with oral antibiotics, no relationship was found between the abnormality and the doses of antibiotics.
On the other hand, distinct prolongation of both PT and PTT was observed within one to two weeks in some of the cases receiving intramuscular (i. m.) or intravenous (i. v.) injection of antibiotics, PT and PTT of these cases recovered to normal range after discontinuation of the antibiotics.
Although severe prolongation of PT and PTT was observed in two of the renal failure cases after single dose of 5g CBPC, no treatment was needed for that.
None of the cases showed clinical symptoms and signs of blood coagulopathy. However, the influence of antibiotics on the coagulation cascade, sometimes found as abnormal changes of PT or PTT, especially in patients receiving i. m. or i. v. antibiotic administration, calls our attention to the blood coagulability of the patients during antibiotic therapy.