Publication:

Correlation between the prothrombin time values obtained by point-of care prothrombin time meter and clinical laboratory in paediatric intensive care unit of a developing country

Background Monitoring of prothrombin time (PT) is essential for adequate management of children in pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) who require serial and repeated PT measurements. In contrast to laboratory testing, point-of-care (POC) PT meters have been configured especially for bedside that are cost effective with rapid turnaround time. Our study aimed to assess its feasibility for routine use in PICU by assessing the correlation between PT values obtained through the POC PT meter and those acquired from the laboratory.

Methods A total of 200 children of either gender aged between 1 month to 12 years, admitted to PICU of Indus hospital Karachi Pakistan from February to August 2023 were analysed in this cross-sectional study. Venous blood samples were collected in PT bottles and transported to the pathology department within a time frame of 20-30 minutes for analysis. Concurrently, a drop of blood was obtained via finger prick and promptly assessed using the POC device-Coaguchek INRange system, (Roche diagnostics Ltd, USA). Pearson’s correlation was applied.

Results 200 children (96 males, 104 females) having a mean age of 6.42±3.55 years. The mean PT values with POC meter and Laboratory were 2.588±1.299 and 2.574±1.304 respectively (p=0.100). Very strong correlation of PT between POC PT meter and laboratory evaluation was observed (r=0.996, p<0.001).

Conclusions The strong correlation observed between POC PT meter and laboratory supports the use of these devices for timely coagulation monitoring, potentially improving patient outcomes in PICUs.