Value and application of automation in laboratory diagnosis of haemostatic disorders

There is a bewildering variety of instrumentation available for automation of coagulation procedures. The advantages and draw-backs of the most widely-used types are discussed to help the prospective purchaser to decide the most suitable instrument for his needs. Operator satisfaction is of considerable importance. Anticoagulated plasmas give shorter clotting times on many instruments as compared with the manual method which may necessitate an extrapolation curve or change of therapeutic range. An instrument, carefully selected, can increase the throughput of samples and improve the overall accuracy and precision of results.