Dissociation of Platelet Aggregation from Clot Retraction, Potassium Loss, and Adenosine Triphosphatase Activity

Six out of 10 local anesthetics inhibited clot retraction, platelet aggregation, and ATPase activity; and produced platelet potassium loss. Another anesthetic, dibucaine, inhibited clot retraction but did not inhibit platelet aggregation. Thus these two phenomena were separable. Dibucaine, however, produced platelet potassium loss and inhibited ATPase activity. These studies have shown that platelet aggregation may be dissociated from clot retraction, changes in platelet permeability to potassium and ATPase activity.