New Assays For Measuring Direct Thrombin Inhibitors in Plasma

Study Conclusions

• Clotting and chromogenic assays simple and rapid, standardized, calibrated with the DTIs used. Specific calibrators and controls available for Hirudin and Argatroban®.

 

• Clotting method (1:8 dilution): excellent linearity, sensitivity, and accuracy over the usual therapeutic range, from 0.1 to 2.0 μg/ml (possibly 0.25 to 5.0 μg/ml) for Lepirudin and Argatroban®, and we predict that it could also be used with Bivalirudin® or new oral DTIs such as dabigatran etexilate.

 

• Reflects the patient “true anti-IIa potential”.

 

• Well correlated methods (r2>0.99), consistent with aPTT results.

 

• Safe, highly stable, and reliable tools, easily performed with basic equipment or major coagulation analyzers, for measuring DTIs’ activity in plasma with no matrix effect or in purified milieu. Especially useful for monitoring DTIs in emergency or in curative applications, and in analytical and pre-clinical studies for emerging DTIs, for which methods are requested by both users and authorities.