[Evaluation of microtechnics in the study of coagulation]

Coagulation tests were performed in 20 children admitted to the Centro Médico Nacional, through the use of two different techniques: the classical microtechniques through which, blood samples are obtained by direct venous puncture and the microtechnique or capillary, where capillary puncture and micropipettes are used. We believed the latter would be of great usefulness, specially in very small babies. A statistical analysis showed trustworthiness in the microtechnical method, absence of lineal correlation between the two and it was seen that sensibility to detect changes in measurements is higher through the use of capillary puncture. A simple procedure is required for the microtechnique to obtain th sample which should not be stored in refrigeration and must be processed within two hours to avoid changes and mistakes in the interpretation. If such requirements are covered, the results obtained with this technique are of the highest quality and trustworthiness and show the advantage that they may be repeated as often as necessary to obtain the most adequate diagnosis of coagulation.