Dose-Calculation of Blood Coagulation Factors for Infusion Therapy

Abstract

Blood coagulation is a complicated process in which a considerable number of proteins are involved. These proteins are present in the circulation as precursors of active coagulation factors. The process of coagulation may be initiated by various triggers and consists of sequential activation of coagulation factors resulting in activation of fibrinogen and formation of a fibrin clot. Most blood coagulation factors have been discovered due to the existence of inherited protein deficiencies resulting in a bleeding tendency. Therapeutic infusions of blood or plasma, containing the missing coagulation factor, have provided early data on the elimination of circulating proteins. In later years the physico-chemical techniques for purification and labeling of proteins were also applied to coagulation factors and today there is probably no other class of proteins which has been investigated with such variety of techniques (cf. Tables 8.2 and 8.3).