Quantiative determination of intravascular coagulation in the lungs of experimental animals.

A method demonstrating intravascular intravital coagulation in the lungs of experimental animals, using intravenous injection of labelled fibrinogen before the deposition of fibrin, is described. In contrast to the histological methods, the present method allows good postmortal quantitative determination of intravascular coagulation occurred during life. Both the dose of the agent (thrombin) by which the coagulation was induced, and the rate at which this agent was administered intravenously, influenced the results. The increased radioactivity, noted when labelled fibrinogen was used, did not occur when fibrinogen was replaced by labelled albumin.