[New in vitro analysis tested: bleeding time is still the best method for evaluation of primary hemostasis]

The need is great for a simple, cheap and readily accessible method for the evaluation of primary hemostasis in work-ups at both out-patient clinics and units caring for surgical or intensive care patients. PFA-100 is a recently introduced instrument for in vitro testing of platelet function. We report experiences from Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo of PFA-100 measurements performed on samples from healthy controls and from patients with von Willebrand disease or platelet disorders. It is shown that the PFA-100 system has a high sensitivity for von Willebrands disease, while the sensitivity for hereditary platelet dysfunction is low. In its present design this new device could not replace the template bleeding time as a screening test for primary hemostasis.