TABLE 3.
Platelet counts, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, thrombin time, fibrinogen and D-dimer levels using four centrifugation methods, Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital and King Edward VIII Hospital, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, September 2021 – November 2021.
| Test | Method A 4000 rpm/15 min |
Method B 4000 rpm/10 min |
Method C 5000 rpm/10 min |
Method D 5000 rpm/5 min |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Mean | s.d. | Range | Mean | s.d. | Range | p-value | Mean | s.d. | Range | p-value | Mean | s.d. | Range | p-value | |
| Platelet count (×109/L) | 60 | 1.18 | 1.23 | 0–5 | 1.77 | 1.63 | 0–8 | 0.02 | 9.35 | 7.66 | 0–38 | < 0.001 | 10.53 | 12.65 | 0–90 | < 0.001 |
| Prothrombin time | ||||||||||||||||
| Normal (sec) | 49 | 10.71 | 0.60 | 9.5–12.4 | 10.69 | 0.63 | 9.8–12.7 | 0.45 | 10.62 | 0.60 | 9.4–12.6 | 0.002 | 10.62 | 0.59 | 9.6–12.3 | 0.005 |
| Abnormal (sec) | 11 | 19.26 | 10.39 | 9.2–42.4 | 19.22 | 10.51 | 9.3–43.0 | 0.70 | 19.25 | 10.34 | 9.4–41.8 | 0.86 | 19.30 | 10.26 | 9.4–41.9 | 0.80 |
| Activated partial thromboplastin time | ||||||||||||||||
| Normal (sec) | 38 | 28.26 | 2.48 | 25–36.5 | 27.97 | 2.68 | 22.5–36.3 | 0.13 | 28.02 | 2.35 | 24.2–35.8 | 0.08 | 28.16 | 2.66 | 24.2–37 | 0.51 |
| Abnormal (sec) | 22 | 37.48 | 25.36 | 21.1–94.5 | 37.27 | 24.34 | 21–91.8 | 0.56 | 37.44 | 24.47 | 20.6–93.8 | 0.91 | 37.19 | 24.11 | 21.4–89.1 | 0.47 |
| Thrombin time | ||||||||||||||||
| Normal (sec) | 46 | 17.47 | 0.85 | 16–19 | 17.37 | 0.81 | 15.7–19 | 0.26 | 17.31 | 0.88 | 15.6–19.1 | 0.08 | 17.34 | 0.87 | 15.7–18.9 | 0.17 |
| Abnormal (sec) | 14 | 16.72 | 2.44 | 13.1–20.2 | 16.69 | 2.42 | 13.1–20.1 | 0.70 | 16.57 | 2.53 | 13.1–20.4 | 0.21 | 16.46 | 2.46 | 13.0–20.2 | 0.03 |
| Fibrinogen | ||||||||||||||||
| Normal (g/L) | 47 | 3.41 | 0.75 | 1.86–4.5 | 3.46 | 0.77 | 1.86–4.66 | 0.08 | 3.52 | 0.90 | 1.86–6.63 | 0.11 | 3.45 | 0.76 | 1.84–4.59 | 0.14 |
| Abnormal (g/L) | 13 | 5.28 | 2.15 | 1.21–8.24 | 5.18 | 2.38 | 1.20–8.9 | 0.63 | 5.44 | 2.32 | 1.22–8.9 | 0.06 | 5.37 | 2.31 | 1.21–8.9 | 0.26 |
| D-dimer * | ||||||||||||||||
| Normal (mg/L) | 19 | 0.20 | 0.02 | 0.19–0.25 | 0.27 | 0.26 | 0.19–1.34 | 0.29 | 0.21 | 0.03 | 0.19–0.27 | 0.04 | 0.21 | 0.03 | 0.19–0.28 | 0.02 |
| Abnormal (mg/L) | 40 | 1.5 | 2.05 | 0.26–9.06 | 1.49 | 2.05 | 0.27–8.9 | 0.89 | 1.44 | 2.06 | 0.23–8.93 | 0.52 | 1.47 | 2.10 | 0.22–9.04 | 0.74 |
min, minute; No., number; rpm, revolutions per minute; s.d., standard deviation; sec, seconds.
*
, One sample was treated as an outlier due to abnormally high D-dimer results (35.2 mg/L) using Method A. P-values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant.