title: Measurement of factor VIII activity using one-stage clotting assay: a calibration curve has not to be systematically included in each run.
abstract: Coagulation factor VIII (FVIII) is usually evaluated using activated partial thromboplastin time-based one-stage clotting assays. Guidelines for clotting factor assays indicate that a calibration curve should be included each time the assay is performed. Therefore, FVIII measurement is expensive, reagent- and time-consuming. The aim of this study was to compare FVIII activities obtained using the same fully automated assay that was calibrated once (stored calibration curve) or each time the assay was performed. Unique lots of reagents were used throughout the study. We analysed 255 frozen plasma samples from patients who were prescribed FVIII measurement including treated and untreated haemophilia A patients. Twenty-six runs were performed on a 28-week period, each including four lyophilized control and at most 10 patient plasma samples. In control samples, FVIII activities were not significantly different when the assay was performed using the stored calibration curve or was daily calibrated. The same applied to FVIII activities in patient plasma samples that were not significantly different throughout the measuring range of activities [68.3% (<1-179) vs. 67.6% (<1-177), P=0.48] and no relevant bias could be demonstrated when data were compared according to Bland and Altman. These results suggest that in the studied technical conditions, performing the FVIII assay using a stored calibration curve is reliable, for at least 6 months. Therefore, as far as the same lots of reagents are used, it is not mandatory to include a calibration curve each time the FVIII assay was performed. However, this strategy has to be validated if the assay is performed in different technical conditions.
authors: Université Nice-Sofia Antipolis, CHUN, Hôpital Cimiez, Service d'Hématologie Biologique, Nice, France.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Lattes
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Appert-Flory
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Fischer
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Jambou
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Toulon
mesh_terms: D002138:Calibration; D005169:Factor VIII / Q000032:analysis*; D006467:Hemophilia A / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D010314:Partial Thromboplastin Time / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D005169:Factor VIII