D. Houghton

A comparison of artificially-depleted, lyophilized coumarin and fresh coumarin plasmas in thromboplastin calibration

Artificially‐depleted lyophilized plasmas and lyophilized coumarin plasmas were prepared and compared with fresh coumarin plasmas to assess their comparative reliability in local thromboplastin calibration using the manual prothrombin time (PT) technique. Their certified PT values were inserted in turn on the vertical axis in place of the PT obtained with fresh coumarin plasmas. PT results were obtained at eight ECAA national laboratories (‘test centres’) and inserted on the horizontal axis. The resulting thromboplastin calibration slopes were compared with conventional fresh coumarin plasma calibration slopes at the same ‘test centres’. When 60 artificially‐depleted plasmas were substituted for 60 fresh plasmas, the mean calibration slopes with the human plain International Reference Preparation (IRP) were 4.2% higher. For comparison with 20 lyophilized coumarins, three sets of 20 artificially‐depleted plasmas were selected in sequential order from the 60. The lyophilized coumarin plasmas gave a mean deviation of 9.6% from the fresh plasma calibration slopes compared with values of 2.0%, 6.1% and 11.7% for the three sets of 20 depleted plasmas.

The importance of "like to like" ISI calibrations with freeze dried plasmas. European Concerted Action on Anticoagulation.

AIM: To assess reliability of like to like and cross species calibrations using two types of certified freeze dried plasma calibrants--artificially depleted of vitamin K clotting factors, and from coumarin treated patients. METHODS: Six ECAA national control laboratories provided certified values for the freeze dried plasmas in terms of the human plain international reference preparation (IRP) (BCT/441) with the manual prothrombin time technique. Eight other ECAA national laboratories determined international sensitivity index (ISI) values in full fresh plasma same species and cross species WHO calibrations against a low ISI human IRP (BCT/441) of the ECAA low ISI human thromboplastin and high ISI ECAA rabbit thromboplastin. Parallel calibrations were performed using the certified values. RESULTS: Calibrations on fresh plasmas of the human ECAA reference thromboplastin (stated ISI = 0.95) gave ISI of 0.957 against the human IRP and 1.66 against the rabbit IRP. The ECAA rabbit (stated ISI = 1.67) gave an identical value on the fresh plasma calibration v the human IRP. With freeze dried depleted plasmas certified in terms of the human IRP, the ISI of the ECAA human was 1.01, but the ECAA rabbit (stated ISI = 1.67) gave a low ISI of 1.47. The freeze dried coumarin plasmas gave an ISI of 0.943 for the ECAA human but only 1.493 for the ECAA rabbit. CONCLUSIONS: Fresh plasmas give reliable ISI when calibrating thromboplastins in same species and cross species calibrations. Freeze dried plasmas certified in terms of a single IRP, whether artificially depleted or of coumarin plasma origin, cannot be used for calibration of dissimilar thromboplastins.

A simplified statistical method for local INR using linear regression

A simplified method of International Normalized Ratio (INR) derivation using linear regression of certified INR plotted against local prothrombin time (PT) results has been compared with INR from conventional orthogonal regression. Linear regression assumes error only with the local PT results whereas orthogonal regression assumes error with both reference and local results. The reliability of local INR derivation using lyophilized plasmas has been assessed in a collaborative study. INR from conventional fresh plasma International Sensitivity Index (ISI) calibrations have been compared with INR from calibrations with two types of lyophilized plasma, artificially depleted and coumarin.

The reliability of the mean normal prothrombin time of fresh plasmas and of the normal value from a lyophilized ‘normal’plasma in prothrombin ratio determination

Summary. The mean normal prothrombin time (MNPT) based on the fresh plasma of 20 healthy individuals is the recommended way to derive a normal value for the prothrombin ratio. This is generally believed to give a reasonable representation of the normal in the local population, but there may be difficulty in obtaining a good representative sample in some centres. The alternative of a uniform lyophilized ‘normal’plasma has been sugested. The comparative value of a widely used commercial ‘normal’plasma and the MNPT has been assessed in an international study at 37 centres. Two common thromboplastins were tested using the local coagulometer methods. The variability of the results and their relative performance in local thromboplastin calibration to derive the International Sensitivity Index (ISI) were assessed. The reliability of the two types of normal in local system ISI calibration with different lyophilized plasma calibrants has also been tested. When the lyophilized ‘normal’was substituted for the MNPT in ISI determination no appreciable difference in the degree of correction for caogulometers effects on International Normalized RAtios was found.