Comparison of two techniques for obtaining samples for coagulation studies: venipuncture and intraarterial line.
The purpose of this study was to compare blood coagulation values drawn by venipuncture and from an intraarterial catheter. A 10 ml discard was obtained from 50 consecutive patients before obtaining the coagulation sample from the intraarterial catheter, and a 0.5 ml discard was obtained from the venipuncture specimen. A two-tailed t test for related samples was performed. The results revealed no significant difference between the two methods (p less than 0.05). The small differences seen were attributed to sampling error. These results suggest that blood samples obtained from heparinized intraarterial catheters after a 10 ml discard provide an accurate assessment of patients' mean clotting time.
Kaplow
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Special Care Unit, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001780:Blood Coagulation Tests; D001800:Blood Specimen Collection; D001815:Bloodletting; D002406:Catheterization, Peripheral; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged