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Updated: Nov 21, 2025
Microfluidics in Assessing Platelet Function
Published on: November 8, 2024
Correlation between PlateletWorks® and PFA-100® for Measuring Platelet Function before Urgent Surgery in Patients
Rafael Anaya1, Mireia Rodriguez1, José María Gil1
1Anesthesiology Service, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08041 Barcelona, Spain.
Hemostasis is crucial for reducing bleeding during surgical procedures. The points-of-care based on the platelet function test could be useful to minimize the complications related to chronic antiplatelet therapy during surgery. The present study is aimed at comparing two point-of-care platelet function devices-Platelet Function Analyzer PFA-100® (Siemens Canada, Mississauga, ON, Canada) and Plateletworks®(Helena Laboratories, Beaumont, TX, USA). Our objective is to evaluate if they provide comparable and useful information to manage anti-aggregate patients before surgery. We included patients with a femoral fracture receiving chronic antiplatelet therapy and a median age of 89 years (range from 70 to 98). A platelet function evaluation was performed on all patients before surgery using both devices-Plateletworks® and PFA-100®. The correlation between Plateletworks® and PFA-100® was performed using Cohen's Kappa coefficient. Twenty consecutive patients participated in the trial; 16 patients were under treatment with 75 mg/day of clopidogrel, three with >300 mg/day of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), and only one was in treatment with both antiplatelet agents. Cohen's Kappa coefficient was 0.327 comparing PFA-100®-ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and Plateletworks® and, 0.200 comparing PFA-100®-EPI (epinephrine) and Plateletworks®. In conclusion, we found a weak concordance comparing PFA-100® and Plateletworks®. This could partially be due to the advanced age of the included patients. However, given the limited sample size, more studies are necessary to confirm these results.
Hemostasis is crucial for reducing bleeding during surgical procedures. The points-of-care based on the platelet function test could be useful to minimize the complications related to chronic antiplatelet therapy during surgery. The present study is aimed at comparing two point-of-care platelet function devices-Platelet Function Analyzer PFA-100® (Siemens Canada, Mississauga, ON, Canada) and Plateletworks®(Helena Laboratories, Beaumont, TX, USA). Our objective is to evaluate if they provide comparable and useful information to manage anti-aggregate patients before surgery. We included patients with a femoral fracture receiving chronic antiplatelet therapy and a median age of 89 years (range from 70 to 98). A platelet function evaluation was performed on all patients before surgery using both devices-Plateletworks® and PFA-100®. The correlation between Plateletworks® and PFA-100® was performed using Cohen's Kappa coefficient. Twenty consecutive patients participated in the trial; 16 patients were under treatment with 75 mg/day of clopidogrel, three with >300 mg/day of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), and only one was in treatment with both antiplatelet agents. Cohen's Kappa coefficient was 0.327 comparing PFA-100®-ADP (adenosine diphosphate) and Plateletworks® and, 0.200 comparing PFA-100®-EPI (epinephrine) and Plateletworks®. In conclusion, we found a weak concordance comparing PFA-100® and Plateletworks®. This could partially be due to the advanced age of the included patients. However, given the limited sample size, more studies are necessary to confirm these results.
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