We compared hemostatic and fibrinolytic plasma markers in 41 patients having acute or subacute occlusion of lower limb arteries with 20 patients suffering stable peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD). During occlusion, the amount of thrombin-antithrombin III (TAT) complex was five-fold higher compared with stable PAOD, being 16 micrograms/l [95% confidence interval (CI) 11-21 micrograms/l] vs 3 micrograms/l (95% CI 2-4 micrograms/l), p < 0.003. Similarly, D-dimer was over four-fold (p = 0.0001), while tissue plasminogen activator and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) antigens were about two-fold (p = 0.02 and p < 0.003, respectively) higher than in PAOD. Coagulation and fibrinolysis markers were increased most in patients with recent symptom onset, which mainly represented embolus rather than thrombosis. The marker levels assessing coagulation and fibrinolysis were related with myoglobin and CK, indicators of skeletal muscle damage. Finally, increased TAT, PAI-1 antigen, and myoglobin concentrations associated with poor outcome.