{"title":"Reference interval for the C-ACT activated clotting time test in healthy dogs using a water bath and manual assessment of clot formation.","authors":"K J Nash, S K Day, W A Goodwin","doi":"10.1080/00480169.2023.2201222","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aims: </strong>To establish a reference range for the canine C-ACT activated clotting time (ACT) test using a water bath and visual clot assessment technique.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Healthy, privately owned dogs (n = 48) were prospectively recruited to the study. Blood samples were collected via direct jugular venipuncture for complete blood count, serum biochemistry analysis and measurement of prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). Five animals with major abnormalities or who became agitated during phlebotomy were excluded. For the 43 remaining animals, 2 mL of blood was collected via the cephalic vein and added directly to a C-ACT tube that was shaken vigorously before being placed in a water bath at 37°C. Tubes were visually assessed for clot formation and C-ACT was recorded in seconds when the magnet within the tube lodged in the clot.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The nonparametric reference interval (capturing the central 95% of the data) was 50-80 seconds, with a 90% CI for the lower limit of 50-55 seconds and a 90% CI for the upper limit of 75-80 seconds. The C-ACT ACT test had a positive correlation with aPTT (0.42; 95% CI = 0.13-0.64). There was no evidence of a correlation between C-ACT ACT and age, weight, PT, haematocrit, white blood cell count, platelet count or total protein.</p><p><strong>Conclusions and clinical relevance: </strong>The results of this study suggest that the normal reference interval for ACT in dogs using C-ACT tubes in a 37°C water bath is 50-80 seconds. Care should be taken extrapolating the results of this study to the general population, as the smaller study design had less control for confounders than a larger study. However, when using the described analytical methods, C-ACT tube ACT test results >80 seconds should be considered prolonged in dogs and should prompt further investigation.</p>","PeriodicalId":19322,"journal":{"name":"New Zealand veterinary journal","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.1000,"publicationDate":"2023-07-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"New Zealand veterinary journal","FirstCategoryId":"97","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/00480169.2023.2201222","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"VETERINARY SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Aims: To establish a reference range for the canine C-ACT activated clotting time (ACT) test using a water bath and visual clot assessment technique.
Methods: Healthy, privately owned dogs (n = 48) were prospectively recruited to the study. Blood samples were collected via direct jugular venipuncture for complete blood count, serum biochemistry analysis and measurement of prothrombin time (PT) and activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). Five animals with major abnormalities or who became agitated during phlebotomy were excluded. For the 43 remaining animals, 2 mL of blood was collected via the cephalic vein and added directly to a C-ACT tube that was shaken vigorously before being placed in a water bath at 37°C. Tubes were visually assessed for clot formation and C-ACT was recorded in seconds when the magnet within the tube lodged in the clot.
Results: The nonparametric reference interval (capturing the central 95% of the data) was 50-80 seconds, with a 90% CI for the lower limit of 50-55 seconds and a 90% CI for the upper limit of 75-80 seconds. The C-ACT ACT test had a positive correlation with aPTT (0.42; 95% CI = 0.13-0.64). There was no evidence of a correlation between C-ACT ACT and age, weight, PT, haematocrit, white blood cell count, platelet count or total protein.
Conclusions and clinical relevance: The results of this study suggest that the normal reference interval for ACT in dogs using C-ACT tubes in a 37°C water bath is 50-80 seconds. Care should be taken extrapolating the results of this study to the general population, as the smaller study design had less control for confounders than a larger study. However, when using the described analytical methods, C-ACT tube ACT test results >80 seconds should be considered prolonged in dogs and should prompt further investigation.
期刊介绍:
The New Zealand Veterinary Journal (NZVJ) is an international journal publishing high quality peer-reviewed articles covering all aspects of veterinary science, including clinical practice, animal welfare and animal health.
The NZVJ publishes original research findings, clinical communications (including novel case reports and case series), rapid communications, correspondence and review articles, originating from New Zealand and internationally.
Topics should be relevant to, but not limited to, New Zealand veterinary and animal science communities, and include the disciplines of infectious disease, medicine, surgery and the health, management and welfare of production and companion animals, horses and New Zealand wildlife.
All submissions are expected to meet the highest ethical and welfare standards, as detailed in the Journal’s instructions for authors.