The detection of changes in heparin activity in the rabbit: a comparison of anti-xa activity, thrombelastography, activated partial thromboplastin time, and activated coagulation time.

UNLABELLED: Thrombelastography (TEG) has been used to detect both exogenous and endogenous circulating heparin activity in clinical and laboratory settings. Thus, in this study I sought to compare the sensitivity of TEG, activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), and activated coagulation time (ACT) values with changes in anti-Xa activity after small-dose heparin administration in rabbits. Conscious rabbits (n = 11) had blood obtained from ear arteries for hematological analyses after the administration of 0, 10, 20, and 30 U/kg of IV heparin. Anti-Xa activities after the administration of 0, 10, 20, and 30 U/kg of heparin were, respectively, 38 +/- 9 mU/mL, 74 +/- 15 mU/mL, 105 +/- 14 mU/mL, and 134 +/- 17 mU/mL; all values were significantly different from each other. TEG variables (R and alpha) significantly (P < 0.05) changed between 0, 10, and 20 U/kg heparin doses, but a difference between 20 and 30 U/kg could not be discerned secondary to loss of a detectable clot. The aPTT was significantly (P < 0.05) different between 0, 20, and 30 U/kg doses. ACT values were significantly different between the 0 U/kg heparin dose and all other doses; however, there were no significant differences between the 10, 20, and 30 U/kg heparin doses. Changes in anti-Xa activity were significantly linearly related to R (r = 0.81, P < 0.0001), alpha (r = -0.85, P < 0.0001), aPTT (r = 0.74, P < 0.0001), and ACT (r = 0.41, P = 0.005). In this model of small-dose heparin administration, TEG variables were more sensitive to changes in heparin activity than aPTT and ACT. IMPLICATIONS: Changes in thrombelastography (TEG) variables more sensitively reflect changes in circulating heparin activity than activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) and activated coagulation time (ACT) after small-dose heparin administration in rabbits. Thus, TEG may be more helpful than aPTT and ACT in the detection of heparin in both laboratory and clinical settings wherein heparin may play a role in coagulopathy.