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Coagulation
Coagulation laboratory tests
Ecarin clotting time
Reviewer: Jeremy Parsons, M.D. (see Reviewers page)
Revised: 20 June 2012, last major update June 2012
Copyright: (c) 2002-2012, PathologyOutlines.com, Inc.
General
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● Measures activity of hirudin in plasma, important since severe bleeding can occur with hirudin overdose and no antidote is known
● Also measures activity of lepirudin, a recombinant form of hirudin (J Extra Corpor Technol 2001;33:117)
● Ecarin catalyzes prothrombin to meizothrombin, an active form that is inhibited by hirudin (Pathophysiol Haemost Thromb 2004;33:173)
● Test measures ability of hirudin to complex with / inhibit meizothrombin as ecarin produces it from prothrombin
● Ecarin comes from the venon of the saw-scaled viper
Specimen:
● Sodium citrate tube filled to top
● Freeze immediately until testing occurs
● Specimens with clots or hemolysis are unacceptable, unless hemolysis is due to cardiopulmonary bypass and is produced in vivo
● Do not draw from heparinized catheter
Reference range:
● 22.6 to 29.0 seconds
● Prolonged if hirudin or argatroban (direct thrombin inhibitors) present; also hypofibrinogenemia, dysfibrinogenemia
● False positive if prothrombin deficiency is present
End of Coagulation > Coagulation laboratory tests > Ecarin clotting time
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