Blood Coagulation Values of Sheep

SUMMARY Results of coagulation studies on 25 mature sheep were compared with values from normal human adults. The significant differences affecting the hemostatic system were the markedly decreased fibrinolytic activity and the increased platelet number and adhesiveness in the sheep. All these factors could increase the tendency toward hypercoagulability and were probably responsible for the commonly observed lack of excessive bleeding in sheep during surgical procedures, even during extracorporeal perfusion. It is uncertain whether the increase in factor V and factor VIII levels represented a special tendency toward thrombosis.