Effect of pegaspargase on blood coagulation function in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and its treatment

Objective To discuss the effect of the pegaspargase on the coagulation function of the adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients and the treatment method. Methods Thirty-three patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia were treated with an pegaspargase scheme, 1 d before the treatment of the pegaspargase, 4 d, 9 d and 14 d after treatment, plasma prothrombin time(PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), plasma fibrinogen (FIB) were monitored, and a moderate amount of cold precipitation was injected to patients with fibrin less than 1 g/L. Results After the treatment of 33 patients with pegaspargase, 31 patients had abnormal coagulation function (93.9%), which was mainly decreased with FIB; there was no significant difference in PT between 4 d after treatment and before treatment (P>0.05), the difference of PT, APTT and FIB after treatment was statistically significant (P<0.05). The amount of infusion of cryoprecipitate after treatment, 2 patients appeared on skin ecchymosis, other patients showed no obvious bleeding. After 2 weeks of treatment, FIB was gradually recovered, but it was still not normal, and compared with before treatment, the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusions It is necessary to monitor the changes of blood coagulation function regularly in patients with pegaspargase, and the effect of the pegaspargase on FIB is obvious, and supplemental cold precipitation treatment if necessury. Key words: Pegaspargase; Coagulation function; Fibrinogen; Cold precipitation