title: Estimation of the levels of D-dimer by use of an alternative method based in the reaction time of fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products assay.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  D-dimer and fibrinogen/fibrin degradation products (FDP) levels are elevated in thromboembolic disorders, and its assays are used in many laboratories for the investigation of these disorders. The aim of this study was to propose a cost saving alternative method for determination of D-dimer levels based in the reaction time of FDP assay.
  
  
  METHODS
  D-dimer and FDP immunoassays were performed in 100 blood samples from subjects by use of Liatest D-dimer and Plasma FDP. The results of D-dimer obtained by the Liatest D-dimer were compared with the results obtained by the estimation method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant association between D-dimer levels and the reaction times necessary to occur agglutination in latex agglutination test for FDP was observed. A close agreement between D-dimer results obtained by the Liatest D-dimer and by the estimation method (D-dimer = 82829 FDPt(-0.8683)) was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The estimation method described in this study could be useful for clinical laboratories because it allows estimating the D-dimer levels before of the automated systems analysis, reducing costs associated to dilutions of plasma samples and reagents.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. rnmoresco@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Rafael Noal
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Moresco
authors.forename: Luis Cláudio Rosa
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: Lúcia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Silla
mesh_terms: D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents / Q000097:blood*; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007700:Kinetics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results
chemical_list: D000933:Antifibrinolytic Agents; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; C036309:fibrin fragment D; D005340:Fibrinogen