Abstract
Summary
1. Prevention of gangrene after severe frostbite requires a continuous uninterrupted prolongation of the coagulation time by heparin injections or infusions for at least 5 days after the exposure.
2. Even brief interruptions of this prolongation lead to a rapid increase in percentage of failure of the treatment.
3. Experiments in which such a prolongation is not achieved continuously are of no value in judging the merits of the therapy.
4. The term “heparinization” should be reserved for such instances in which heparin injections are proved to have produced a continuously maintained elevation of coagulation time to the desired level.
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