Increased Pulmonary Megakaryocytes-Probable Role in Postoperative Thromboembolism

The incidence of thromboembolic disease after operations is reported to be increasing. Review of the autopsy records of 196 postoperative deaths revealed that 60 were ascribed to thromboembolic disease and the remaining 136 to other causes. When the 196 cases were classified according to the number of megakaryocytes per unit area seen in sections of lung, the frequency of thromboembolism as the cause of death was found to be significantly higher in the group with the highest numbers of megakaryocytes. Injections of epinephrine and corticosteroids in rabbits were followed by the disappearance of megakaryocytes from the lungs and sudden increase in circulating platelets, with transient hypercoagulability of the blood. A better understanding of these phenomena will be essential to any program for the prevention of postoperative thromboembolic disease.