Thromboplastin--sensitivity, precision and other characteristics.

A more sensitive or higher concentration of rabbit brain thromboplastin does not result in greater accuracy and precision of results in oral anticoagulant therapy and is unable to mimic the PIVKA sensitivity of human brain. In terms of International Normalized Ratios the British Comparative Thromboplastin and Manchester Comparative Reagent (both now discontinued) and the Manchester Reagent had the poorest sensitivity to factor VII of all the reagents studied. It is not possible accurately to calibrate rabbit brain against human brain thromboplastin in the upper therapeutic range and beyond.