Original Article

Comparison Between Black Top CA510 and Flip Top FT CA510 Test Tubes in the Hemochron Blood Coagulation Timing System

Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center, Department of Surgery, School of Cardiovascular Perfusion, Camden, NJ

^* Address correspondence to: Anthony J. DelRossi, M.D., Department of Surgery, Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cooper Hospital/University Medical Center, Three Cooper Plaza, Suite 411 Camden, NJ 08103

Abstract

The Hemochron System for in vivo determination of blood coagulation, commonly referred to as ACT, has routinely been used for patients undergoing extracorporeal bypass surgery. A modified version of the Black Top CA510 Hemochron test tube, the Flip Top FT CA510, has become increasingly utilized in the clinical setting. A comparative study determining reliability, reproducibility and relative accuracy between the two Hemochron tubes has been established.

Simultaneous ACT tests were performed on three hospitalized patients, totaling 22 blood samples taken altogether. Each tube was injected with 2ccs of blood per patient. ACT results were obtained and there appeared to be no significant difference between Group A (Black Top CA510) and Group B (Flip Top FT CA510). Additionally, the results in Group B indicated a higher degree of reliability with the newer tubes.