Abstract

MORALES, M; MORENO, A; MEJIA, M  and  BUSTAMANTE, Y. Pseudotrombocitopenia Edta-Dependiente: Rol del Laboratorio Clínico en la Detección y el Correcto Contaje Plaquetario. RFM [online]. 2001, vol.24, n.1, pp.55-61. ISSN 0798-0469.

Pseudothrombocytopenia is defined as a low platelet count resulting from a laboratory artifact to occur in specimens extract with EDTA and perform in automated cell-count cause progress platelet clumping in the time for effect of platelet cold agglutinins. If you don’t recognize the phenomenon may lead to erroneous diagnosis, unnecessary and costly additional laboratory examinations, and inappropriate medical o surgical therapy. This study marks pseudothrombocytopenia EDTA-induced (PTCP-EDTA) in patients of Bioanálisis Service of "Dr. José Gregorio Hernández" Hospital-IVSS (Venezuelan Institute of Social Security), in the period of 01-01-99 to 31-07-00 propose variety alternative for correct platelet count in specimens with this phenomenon. The blood of five patients was treaty with differents anticoagulants (EDTA, citrate, oxalate) and keep a room temperature and 37°C.The methodology studioused was extract an additional sample with EDTA for supplementary with kanamicin in three of those five patients, to analyze the effect of kanamicin about hematology parameters. Through 25.390 hematology performs was detect nine cases of PTCP-EDTA. Conclusion: The citrate isn´t the anticoagulant recommend for correct platelet count in this patients; other alternative can be keep the specimens to 37°C, right after collect. The supplementary kanamicin in the collect blood sample in EDTA is the ideal method for correct platelet count in automated cell-count in cases of previous diagnostic PTCP-EDTA. Because avoid platelet clumps and it doesn’t show changes hematology parameter. Another method is collect a finger-stick blood by using an ammonium oxalate Unopette and to count the blood cells by phase microscopy.

Keywords : Platelet; Pseudothrombocytopenia; Thrombocytopenia; EDTA.