A variety of technics for assay of fibrinogen were investigated. Greatest accuracy was obtained with a slightly modified Ratnoff-Menzie procedure. One hundred presumably normal blood donors had an average fibrinogen level of 225 mg. per 100 ml. of plasma, with a range from 147 to 319 mg. The levels were not appreciably influenced by age, sex or "reactions" to donation of blood.

Using this assay, over-all fibrinolytic activity was estimated by duplicate assays employing 4-hour incubation of the diluted clot, lysis being inhibited in one of the tubes by epsilon amino caproic acid. The technic showed significant degrees of fibrinolytic activity in the plasma of most patients after open heart surgery as compared with the normal controls.

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© 1963 by American Society of Hematology, Inc.
1963
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