Open AccessShould multiple factor dilutions be performed for all patient coagulation factor assays? Let the debate begin!
Author(s) -
Favaloro Emmanuel J.,
Pasalic Leonardo
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
research and practice in thrombosis and haemostasis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2475-0379
DOI - 10.1002/rth2.12689
Subject(s) - serial dilution , partial thromboplastin time , medicine , lupus anticoagulant , prothrombin time , coagulation , coagulation testing , thromboplastin , thrombin generation , parallelism (grammar) , intensive care medicine , thrombin , pathology , computer science , platelet , alternative medicine , thrombosis , parallel computing
Abstract Laboratory assessment of blood coagulation factors may be undertaken for various reasons, including investigating the possibility of hemophilia or unexpected prolongation in routine coagulation assays (eg, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time). Several guidelines recommend performing multiple dilutions (usually 2‐3) on all patient test samples to evaluate “parallelism” as a guide to the presence of potential “inhibitors,” be they factor inhibitors, lupus anticoagulant, or related to the presence of anticoagulant therapy. The current Forum argues against mandating investigation of parallelism (or multiple dilutions) for all samples destined for testing, instead suggesting that a more targeted approach will likely provide better clinical utility and use of laboratory resources.