Coagulation studies in massive pulmonary haemorrhage of the newborn.

Coagulation studies were performed on two newborn infants with fatal massive pulmonary haemorrhage. The first showed a reduced level of plasma fibrinogen with defective thrombin-fibrinogen reaction, corrected by protamine, and defective thromboplastin generation. In the second case, a premature infant, the fibrinogen level was normal but there was a severe defect in thromboplastin generation with evidence of an inhibitor. A relationship between the pulmonary haemorrhage and coagulation defects is suggested but not established.