Heparin-induced multiple electrode aggregometry is a promising and useful functional tool for heparin-induced thrombocytopenia diagnosis: Confirmation in a prospective study. (September 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Galea, Vassiliki; Khaterchi, Amir; Robert, Francoise; Gerotziafas, Grigoris; Hatmi, Mohamed; Elalamy, Ismail
• Is Part Of: Platelets. Volume 24:Number 6(2013:Sep.)
• Page Start: 441
• Page End: 447
• Publication Date: 2013-09
• Subjects: Blood platelets -- Periodicals; Blood Platelets -- Periodicals; 615.39
• DOI: 10.3109/09537104.2012.724736
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0953-7104

Abstract

<abstract> <title> <x xml:space="preserve">Abstract</x> </title> <p>Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a potentially lethal adverse effect of heparin therapy. Accurate and rapid HIT laboratory diagnosis when HIT is suspected is crucial. The combination of an immunological assay with a functional test improves the accuracy of HIT, but functional assays are currently limited to a few laboratories. Multiplate® analyzer (Dynabyte, Munich, Germany) is a practical, semi-automated and easy-to-perform platelet aggregation assay. The aim of this study is to explore whether heparin-induced platelet aggregation in whole blood assessed by Multiplate® (Heparin-induced multiple electrode aggregometry, HIMEA) can replace platelet aggregation test (PAT) in platelet-rich plasma. For this purpose, HIMEA performance in HIT diagnosis was prospectively evaluated. HIMEA and PAT were compared to serotonin-release assay (SRA) in 200 well-characterized consecutive patients suspected for HIT. HIMEA was found to be more sensitive (81% vs. 76%) and more specific (99% vs. 96%) than PAT compared to SRA. Both tests showed a high negative predictive value while HIMEA had a better positive predictive value. HIMEA has overall better performance characteristics than PAT for the detection of HIT platelet-activating antibodies. The combination of an immunological assay with HIMEA could be a feasible option in non-specialized laboratories for HIT diagnosis optimization.</p> </abstract>