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Verification and Establishment of Reference Intervals for Prothrombin Time and Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time

Min Young Lee, Woo In Lee, So Young Kang

    Clinical Laboratory
    |February 10, 2022
    PubMed

    Insights

    Establishing pediatric reference intervals (RIs) for prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) is crucial. New pediatric RIs improve accuracy and efficiency in diagnosing coagulation disorders in children.

    Area of Science:

    • Clinical Chemistry
    • Hematology
    • Pediatric Medicine

    Background:

    • Prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT) are standard coagulation tests.
    • Current adult-based reference intervals (RIs) lack pediatric specificity, potentially leading to misinterpretation of results in children.
    • Age-dependent RIs are necessary for accurate coagulation testing in pediatric populations.

    Purpose of the Study:

    • To validate the applicability of adult-based RIs for PT and aPTT in pediatric patients.
    • To establish specific pediatric reference intervals for PT and aPTT.
    • To improve the diagnostic accuracy of coagulation tests in children.

    Main Methods:

    • Analysis of PT and aPTT results from healthy pediatric patients aged 1-18 years.
    • Stratification of samples into six age-based groups.
    • Verification and establishment of age-specific RIs for PT and aPTT.

    Main Results:

    • Adult-based RIs were found to be statistically invalid for PT in children aged 10-18 years and for aPTT across all pediatric age groups.
    • New pediatric RIs were established: PT for ages 10-18 years (11.1-14.1 seconds) and aPTT for ages 1-9 years (28.2-46.0 seconds).
    • Pediatric RIs were generally higher than adult-based RIs.

    Conclusions:

    • Pediatric-specific RIs for PT and aPTT are essential for accurate interpretation of coagulation test results in children.
    • Implementing pediatric RIs can enhance clinical decision-making, leading to time, labor, and cost savings.
    • The study successfully established new, age-appropriate RIs for pediatric coagulation testing.
    Abstract

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