Comparison of four commercially available activated partial thromboplastin time reagents using a semi-automated coagulometer.

Large numbers of activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) reagents are sold in the market. The phospholipid content and its source, nature and the amount of activators are highly varied in different aPTT reagents. The present study was undertaken to evaluate which of the four aPTT reagents commonly used is suitable as an all-purpose reagent for a modest haemostasis laboratory. Four aPTT reagents (reagent A, Platelin LS; reagent B, Silimat; reagent C, Actin FSL; reagent D, CK Prest) were tested against 75 different plasmas obtained from normal patients as well as from patients with different haemostatic problems. All the tests were conducted by one of us (S.S.) in duplicates. Different aPTT reagents missed different proportions of mild factor VIII and factor IX deficiency (36.4, 18.2, 4.6 and 13.6% for reagents A, B, C and D, respectively) and showed abnormal results with normal plasmas (i.e. more than 5 s prolongation) (29.2, 25, 8.3 and 12.5% for reagents A, B, C and D, respectively). All the reagents faithfully picked up moderate and severe factor VIII and factor IX deficiency. There was no difference among the four aPTT reagents regarding their ability to prolong aPTT to therapeutic dosage of heparin or in their ability to give comparable factor VIII or factor IX levels in one-stage aPTT-based assays. There were differences in aPTT reagents in their ability to pick up mild deficiency of coagulation factor VIII and factor IX. Some reagents showed abnormal aPTT results in mild cases of factor VIII and factor IX deficiency without producing a large number of falsely prolonged aPTT with normal plasma.