Comparison Between Blood Fibrinolytic Activity in the Legs and Arms and its Possible Role in Phlebothrombosis

Abstract

A significant increase of the fibrinolytic activity in the femoral vein blood after exercise of the legs has been observed. It is suggested that this increase is beneficial to the human organism from the point of view of practical therapeutics since fibrin clots oftener than platelet thrombi cause venous obstruction.The fibrinolytic activity was found to be lower in the blood obtained from the femoral vein in subjects confined to bed. It is tentatively suggested that this decrease may at least to some extent play a part in the increased incidence of phlebothrombosis in the lower limbs of patients who are bed-ridden.It is further suggested that the increase in the activator content in the blood after exercise of the leg is due to larger amounts of activator being contributed by the muscles during the accelerated bloodflow.