GLOBAL TEST OF HAEMOSTASIS: THROMBIN GENERATION ASSAY
Abstract:
The coagulation system involves inter-related procoagulant and anticoagulant pathways.
Given to its complexity, traditional coagulation tests, the prothrombin time and activated thromboplastin
time do not assess the whole coagulation system and they correlate badly with the patients’ clinical
condition. Thrombin is the central enzyme in the coagulation cascade and the estimation of an
individual’s potential to generate thrombin may correlate better with the tendency of bleeding or
thrombosis than traditional coagulation tests. Thrombin generation assays (TGA) measure the ability of
a plasma sample to generate thrombin following in vitro activation of coagulation with tissue factor or
another trigger. There is a growing interest in the use of thrombin generation testing, as a functional
test, reflecting the clinical phenotype of patients with high risk of bleeding or thrombosis. This paper
provides an overview of the thrombin generation assay measurement and its utility in clinical practice
with an emphasis on Technothrombin® TGA reagents for Ceveron® alpha.
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