A simple and rapid laboratory method for determination of haemostasis potential in plasma. II. Modifications for use in routine laboratories and research work.

To offer a suitable method for use in routine laboratories and research work, some modifications were made in the assay of overall haemostatsis potential (OHP) we developed earlier. Thrombin in a decreased dose with or without tissue-type plasminogen activator was added to plasma for initiation of fibrinogen clotting. Areas under two fibrin-aggregation curves i.e., above-mentioned OHP and overall coagulation potential (OCP) were thus created. A difference between the two parameters reflects the overall fibrinolysis potential (OFP), calculated by ((OCP-OHP)/OCP) x 100%. To obtain reference ranges, investigations were performed in 142 healthy adults of different ages and in 29 healthy women with a normal pregnancy. In 16 patients suffering from coronary heart disease (CHD), OCPs and OHPs increased but OFPs decreased. In 10 pre-eclamptic women with moderate enhancement of OCP, the OHPs became noticeably higher in most while the OFPs lower. Extremely low or undetectable levels of OHP and OCP were shown in samples of Factors VIII-, IX-, VII-, V-, X- or II-deficient plasma. In 13 healthy volunteers treated with acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), OHPs expectedly declined during the administration and rose again after withdrawal. The above findings demonstrate that the modifications in the present study have rendered the method more effective for detecting haemostatic changes and relevant for monitoring treatments.