Clinical application of a newin vitro bleeding time device on surgical patients

Abstract

A newin vitro bleeding time (BT) device was applied to various surgical patients. After setting the optimal assay condition, the normalin vitro bleeding time (T₂) and volume (V₂) were obtained from healthy volunteers, being 114.7 secs±25.8 (SD) and 272.2 μl±69.1 (SD), respectively. When the T₂ was below 210 secs, the platelet count was inversely proportional to the T₂ and V₂ of thein vitro BT with p<0.01. The value of thein vitro BT was not affected by heparin. Agents, which modify platelet functions, such as PGI₂, DN9693 (an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase) and aspirin, prolonged thein vitro BT (T₂, V₂) dose-dependently. Administration of aspirin (660 mg) to volunteers prolonged the T₂ from 108 to over 300 secs and the V₂ from 253 to over 600 μl but ticlopidine (500 mg/day for 3 days) had no effect. In 8 patients with liver cirrhosis who underwent hepatectomy, one patient with a prolonged T₂ (260 secs) and a normal skin BT bled postoperatively, however, 3 patients with a prolonged skin BT (>15 min) and a normal T₂ had no hemorrhagic complications. From these observations it was concluded thatin vitro BT is a convenient and useful tool to examine primary hemostasis or platelet function.