Quality control and quality assessment of coagulation tests in Japan

We have used prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinogen (Fbg), and fibronogen/fibrin degradation products (FDP) as screening coagulation tests, and antithrombin III (AT III), plasminogen (Plg), alpha2-plasmin inhibitor (alpha2-PI), protein C (PC), thrombin-AT III complex (TAT), plasmin-alpha2-PI complex (PIC), and D-dimer as special coagulation tests. We report the present condition of internal and external quality control for these coagulation tests in Japan. We made a summary report of internal quality control of some coagulation tests in Division of Hematology Laboratory, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital. The repeatability and reproducibility of screening tests were good, but those of special tests were partly adequate. We have participated in some external quality control surveillance including Japan Medical Association (JMA), Japanese Association of Laboratory Medical Technologists (JALMT), College of American Pathologists (CAP), and some commercial quality control surveillance. We also reported the results of some external quality control surveillance.