Influence of sample centrifugation on plasma platelet count and activated partial thromboplastin time using patient samples.

Background: Diagnostic coagulation testing is vulnerable to factors of the pre-analytical phase such as sample centrifugation. Despite this, centrifugation conditions differ widely among European laboratories. Here we use samples from patients referred for Activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) testing to investigate if different centrifugation conditions result in platelet-poor plasma (PPP) (plasma platelet count < 10 × 10/L) and how the variation in centrifugation conditions affect APTT measurements.