26276 Thrombin Time, Plasma (TTSC)

​​TT

Thrombin Time

Detecting or excluding the presence of heparin or heparin-like anticoagulants (which act by enhancing antithrombin's inhibition of thrombin and other procoagulant enzymes) when used in conjunction with the reptilase time (RT) in evaluating unexplained prolonged clotting times

Identifying the cause of a prolonged prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, or dilute Russell viper venom time when used in conjunction with the RT and fibrinogen assay

Collection Instructions:

1. Centrifuge, transfer all plasma into a plastic vial, and centrifuge plasma again.

2. Aliquot plasma into a separate plastic vial leaving 0.25 mL in the bottom of centrifuged vial.

3. Freeze plasma immediately (no longer than 4 hours after collection) at -20 degrees C or, ideally, < or =-40 degrees C.

Additional Information:

1. Double-centrifuged specimen is critical for accurate results as platelet contamination may cause spurious results.

2. Each coagulation assay requested should have its own vial.

​​The thrombin time test, by itself, has little diagnostic value and should be interpreted within the context of additional coagulation assays (eg, prothrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, and reptilase time).

Prolonged clotting times may be associated with a wide variety of coagulation abnormalities including:

-Deficiency or functional abnormality (congenital or acquired) of many of the coagulation proteins

-Deficiency or functional abnormality of platelets

-Specific factor inhibitors

-Acute disseminated intravascular coagulation

-Exogenous anticoagulants (eg, heparin, warfarin)

The prothrombin time and activated partial thromboplastin time are first-order tests for coagulation abnormalities and are prolonged in many disorders. A battery of coagulation tests is often required to determine the cause of prolonged clotting times.

Thrombin catalyzes the transformation of fibrinogen to fibrin (by cleaving fibrinopeptides A and B), which is followed by polymerization of fibrin to form a clot. The thrombin time (TT) test measures the time of clot formation when thrombin is added to citrated plasma. The phospholipid-dependent procoagulant enzyme cascades (intrinsic, extrinsic, and "common" pathway) are bypassed by the addition of exogenous thrombin. Therefore, the TT mainly reflects functions and interactions of solution-phase exogenous thrombin and endogenous fibrinogen. 

Prolongation of the thrombin time (TT) is consistent with the presence of heparin-like anticoagulants, hypofibrinogenemia, dysfibrinogenemia, fibrin degradation products, and antibody inhibitors of thrombin. An immeasurably prolonged TT is usually the result of heparin in the specimen or, rarely, the presence of thrombin antibodies or afibrinogenemia.

When the TT test is performed with diluted bovine thrombin to achieve a normal plasma clotting time of about 20 seconds, the TT is capable of detecting unfractionated heparin at a concentration of 0.05 units/mL of heparin.

Other tests useful in interpreting the significance of prolongation of the TT include: reptilase time (RT), human thrombin time, clottable fibrinogen assay, and the fibrin D-dimer assay. These tests are available as components of coagulation profile test panels. As seen in the following table, RT can help distinguish among the various causes of a prolonged TT.

Note: Rare congenital dysfivrinogenemias associated with venous thromboembolism (eg, fibrinogen Bordeaux) may demonstrate normal thrombin and reptilase times and normal Clauss fibrinogen levels. 

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