Background: Monitoring of anticoagulation therapy is based on screening tests: prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT). The accidental presence of a clot in the coagulation samples determines a false prolongation of PT by fibrinogen (FI) consumption and the false or delayed prolongation of APTT, depending on FI consumption or activation. The purpose of this study is to document from the present data re-garding procedures used to exclude the accidental presence of clot in the sample.
Methods: For a more efficient approach, we conducted a study based on research from the main databases that included original and peer-reviewed studies.
Results: We have reported studies in which pre-analytical procedures have been recommended and studies that have also presented post-analytical protocols. A correlation between the efficiency of the procedures in terms of additional laboratory costs has been performed, as well.
Conclusions: Focusing on patient safety, it remains a continuous challenge for each laboratory to be able to establish its own pre-analytical and post-analytical procedure for highlighting accidental clot presence, thus ensuring provision of results with maximum confidence to the clinicians.