Five-minute preparation of platelet-poor plasma for routine coagulation testing

Area of Science:

• Clinical laboratory science
• Hematology
• Diagnostic testing

Background:

• Clinical and Laboratory Standard Institute (CLSI) guidelines mandate platelet-poor plasma (< 10,000 platelets/microL) for routine coagulation tests.
• Standard preparation involves centrifuging whole citrated blood at low speed for 10-30 minutes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reliability of a shorter centrifugation protocol for preparing plasma for coagulation testing.
• To compare coagulation test results using plasma prepared with a 5-minute spin at 3000 g versus a 10-minute spin at 2000 g.

Main Methods:

• Assayed prothrombin time (PT), international normalized ratio (INR), and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) on 46 normal adult blood samples.
• Compared results from plasma prepared using two different centrifugation methods: 5 minutes at 3000 g and 10 minutes at 2000 g.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were observed in PT, INR, or aPTT results between the two centrifugation methods.
• Plasma prepared with 5 minutes of centrifugation at 3000 g consistently met the criteria for platelet-poor plasma.

Conclusions:

• A centrifugation protocol of 5 minutes at 3000 g is a reliable and effective method for preparing plasma for routine coagulation tests.
• This shorter protocol offers a practical option to significantly reduce laboratory turnaround time without compromising test accuracy.