Reliability of the Thrombin-Generation Assay in Frozen-Thawed Platelet-Rich Plasma

The recent introduction of a general coagulation function test, namely the thrombin-generation assay (TGA), has enabled efficient assessment of the global functioning of the hemostatic system. By using a fluorogenic substrate, the TGA produces thrombin-generation curves in a fully automated manner that may be useful and sensitive enough to screen for either hypercoagulable states or hemorrhagic diatheses. In the recent report, Hezard et al.(1), concluded that the TGA can be reliably used to screen patients needing further specific thrombophilia testing. Specifically, a thrombin generation lag time ≤1.5 min indicates the need for factor V Leiden genotyping, whereas a peak thrombin concentration >433 nmol/L indicates the need for factor II G20210A genotyping. As reported in that study, the experiments were performed on thawed, previously frozen, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and little indication is provided on either the collection procedure or …