Defibrination in Acute Pancreatitis

Coagulation abnormalities in clinical and experimental pancreatitis have been described. The release of proteolytic enzymes from the inflamed pancreas has been postulated as the cause of observed coagulation abnormalities. This report describes a patient who developed acute pancreatitis with severe coagulation abnormalities. Increased proteolytic activity was shown in the patient's serum and plasma and was associated with defibrination, accelerated use of fibrinogen, and other coagulation factors. The coagulation abnormalities improved as the proteolytic activity declined, and the pancreatitis abated.