SOME PROBLEMS OF HEMATOLOGY IN HYPOTHERMIA: 



AN INTRODUCTION 



WILLIAM H. CROSBY, JR. 



About a year ago Colonel Hughes, of the Surgical Division of the Walter Reed 

 Army Institute of Research, reported that his dogs under deep hypothermia tended 

 to bleed, not massively, because the circulation was sluggish, but persistently. This 

 phenomenon was investigated in a collaborative study by the Departments of 

 Hematology and Experimental Surgery. 



Figure 1 shows some of the hematologic results which occurred in animals. 



CLOT RETRACTION 



HYPOTHERMIA ""^^l. "^'^E (hours) 



HYPOTHtRMIA WARMING 



Fig. 1. — This figure correlates the change in white cell, platelets, silicone clotting time, 

 bleeding time, clot retraction and prothrombin consumption with body temperature. It can be 

 seen that as the platelets drop all the various platelet functions are interfered with. This figure 

 also shows the hyper-coagulability in the 2^ hour test of bleeding time and '" the 4^ hour test 

 of silicone clotting time (Dog No. 4). 



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