Blood testing - ACT+, ACT-LR, PT, APTT
= cuvette
A cuvette is a piece of laboratory equipment that is intended to hold samples for spectroscopic analysis. Cuvettes are made from glass, plastic, or optical-grade quartz. Plastic cuvettes have the advantage of being less expensive and disposable and are often used in fast spectroscopic assays.
= ACT+ testing - Activated Clotting Time
To monitor treatment with heparin or other blood-thinning medications (anticoagulants) when undergoing heart bypass surgery, coronary angioplasty, or dialysis.
The activated clotting time (ACT) is commonly used to monitor treatment with high-dose heparin before, during, and shortly after medical procedures that require that blood be prevented from clotting, such as heart bypass surgery, cardiac angioplasty, and dialysis.
High doses of heparin are given before, during, and for a short time after, some medical procedures that require extracorporeal life support (ECLS). During these procedures, the patient's blood is filtered and oxygenated outside of the body using mechanical devices. The blood's contact with artificial surfaces activates the clotting process. Special cell fragments in the blood called platelets and proteins called coagulation factors are activated in a sequence of steps that results in blood clot formation. A high dose of heparin prevents clot from forming during ECLS but results in a delicate balance between clotting and bleeding.
The ACT is a rapid test that can be performed at a person's bedside prior to surgery or other medical procedures and in or near the operating room at intervals during and immediately after surgery. (This type of testing is known as point-of-care testing.) ACT testing allows relatively rapid changes in heparin infusion, helping to achieve and maintain a constant level of anticoagulation. Once the procedure is complete and the patient has been stabilized, heparin doses are typically decreased.
The ACT measures the inhibiting effect that heparin has on the body's clotting system, not the actual level of heparin in the blood. The sensitivity of the ACT test to heparin depends on the method used. Some ACT tests are designed to monitor lower levels of heparin while others are best at monitoring high levels of heparin. When heparin reaches therapeutic maintenance levels, the ACT is usually replaced as a monitoring tool by the PTT.
The ACT test is also sometimes used to monitor regular-dose heparin therapy in people with documented lupus anticoagulant (LAC). The PTT test cannot be used in those patients because LAC interferes with the PTT. In rare clinical situations, the ACT test may also be used to monitor the inhibiting effect of a different class of anticoagulation drugs called direct thrombin inhibitors (e.g., argatroban) on the clotting system.
= heparin
= ACT-LR testing - low range activated clotting time
= PT testing - Prothrombin Time
A prothrombin time (PT) is a test used to help detect and diagnose a bleeding disorder or excessive clotting disorder; the international normalized ratio (INR) is calculated from a PT result and is used to monitor how well the blood-thinning medication (anticoagulant) warfarin (Coumadin®) is working to prevent blood clots.
= APTT testing
The partial thromboplastin time (PTT; also known as activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT)) is a screening test that helps evaluate a person's ability to appropriately form blood clots. It measures the number of seconds it takes for a clot to form in a sample of blood after substances (reagents) are added.
URL: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/activated-clotting-time-act
URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heparin
URL: http://policyandorders.cw.bc.ca/resource-gallery/Documents/Lab%20and%20Pathology%20Medicine/C-0506-12-60142%20Hemochron%20ACTLR%20Procedure.pdf
URL: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/prothrombin-time-and-international-normalized-ratio-ptinr
URL: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/partial-thromboplastin-time-ptt-aptt
A cuvette is a piece of laboratory equipment that is intended to hold samples for spectroscopic analysis. Cuvettes are made from glass, plastic, or optical-grade quartz. Plastic cuvettes have the advantage of being less expensive and disposable and are often used in fast spectroscopic assays.
= ACT+ testing - Activated Clotting Time
To monitor treatment with heparin or other blood-thinning medications (anticoagulants) when undergoing heart bypass surgery, coronary angioplasty, or dialysis.
The activated clotting time (ACT) is commonly used to monitor treatment with high-dose heparin before, during, and shortly after medical procedures that require that blood be prevented from clotting, such as heart bypass surgery, cardiac angioplasty, and dialysis.
High doses of heparin are given before, during, and for a short time after, some medical procedures that require extracorporeal life support (ECLS). During these procedures, the patient's blood is filtered and oxygenated outside of the body using mechanical devices. The blood's contact with artificial surfaces activates the clotting process. Special cell fragments in the blood called platelets and proteins called coagulation factors are activated in a sequence of steps that results in blood clot formation. A high dose of heparin prevents clot from forming during ECLS but results in a delicate balance between clotting and bleeding.
The ACT is a rapid test that can be performed at a person's bedside prior to surgery or other medical procedures and in or near the operating room at intervals during and immediately after surgery. (This type of testing is known as point-of-care testing.) ACT testing allows relatively rapid changes in heparin infusion, helping to achieve and maintain a constant level of anticoagulation. Once the procedure is complete and the patient has been stabilized, heparin doses are typically decreased.
The ACT measures the inhibiting effect that heparin has on the body's clotting system, not the actual level of heparin in the blood. The sensitivity of the ACT test to heparin depends on the method used. Some ACT tests are designed to monitor lower levels of heparin while others are best at monitoring high levels of heparin. When heparin reaches therapeutic maintenance levels, the ACT is usually replaced as a monitoring tool by the PTT.
The ACT test is also sometimes used to monitor regular-dose heparin therapy in people with documented lupus anticoagulant (LAC). The PTT test cannot be used in those patients because LAC interferes with the PTT. In rare clinical situations, the ACT test may also be used to monitor the inhibiting effect of a different class of anticoagulation drugs called direct thrombin inhibitors (e.g., argatroban) on the clotting system.
= heparin
As a medication it is used as an anticoagulant (blood thinner). Specifically it is also used in the treatment of heart attacks and unstable angina. It is given by injection into a vein or under the skin. Other uses include inside test tubes and kidney dialysis machines.
= ACT-LR testing - low range activated clotting time
For monitoring heparin anticoagulation during various medical procedures
when heparin is used. It is intended for use in monitoring low to moderate heparin doses
frequently associated with procedures such as cardiac catheterization and Extracorporeal
Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO).
A prothrombin time (PT) is a test used to help detect and diagnose a bleeding disorder or excessive clotting disorder; the international normalized ratio (INR) is calculated from a PT result and is used to monitor how well the blood-thinning medication (anticoagulant) warfarin (Coumadin®) is working to prevent blood clots.
= APTT testing
The partial thromboplastin time (PTT; also known as activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT)) is a screening test that helps evaluate a person's ability to appropriately form blood clots. It measures the number of seconds it takes for a clot to form in a sample of blood after substances (reagents) are added.
URL: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/activated-clotting-time-act
URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heparin
URL: http://policyandorders.cw.bc.ca/resource-gallery/Documents/Lab%20and%20Pathology%20Medicine/C-0506-12-60142%20Hemochron%20ACTLR%20Procedure.pdf
URL: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/prothrombin-time-and-international-normalized-ratio-ptinr
URL: https://labtestsonline.org/tests/partial-thromboplastin-time-ptt-aptt
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