Comparison of the Calibrated Automated Thrombogram Using Standard and Low Plasma Volumes in Dogs

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Hematology
• Hemostasis and Thrombosis Research
• Clinical Pathology

Background:

• Calibrated automated thrombography (CAT) is crucial for assessing thrombin generation.
• Standard CAT requires significant plasma and reagent volumes (80μL and 20μL, respectively).
• Reducing sample volume is beneficial for veterinary patients, minimizing invasiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the standard CAT method with a novel low-volume CAT method in dogs.
• To evaluate the efficacy of reduced plasma and reagent volumes in thrombin generation assessment.

Main Methods:

• Platelet-poor plasma samples were collected from dogs with varying thrombin generation potentials.
• Method 1 (Standard CAT): 80μL plasma, 20μL reagent.
• Method 2 (Low-Volume CAT): 40μL plasma, 10μL reagent. Assessed parameters included lag time, endogenous thrombin potential (ETP), peak, and time to peak (ttpeak).

Main Results:

• Excellent agreement was observed between standard and low-volume CAT methods for all assessed parameters (Lin's concordance coefficients > 0.94).
• A minor bias was noted, significantly affecting lag time.
• A predictive linear equation was established to convert low-volume CAT results to standard CAT values.
• Both methods demonstrated comparable variation in measuring thrombin generation variables.

Conclusions:

• Low-volume CAT is a reliable alternative to the standard method for assessing thrombin generation in dogs.
• This method reduces the sampling burden for canine patients.
• Further validation in larger cohorts is warranted.