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The Modern Pneumatic Tube System Transports with Reduced Speed Does Not Affect Special Coagulation Tests

  • Transactional Processing Systems
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Abstract

Pneumatic tube transport systems (PTS) for delivery of patient samples to a hemostasis laboratory are often used to reduce turnaround time for vital analyses. PTS in our hospital has the ability to regulate the transport speed in the range of 3–6 m/s with acceleration control technology. We evaluated the effects of PTS transport for routine coagulation tests, platelet function tests and special global coagulation tests. Duplicate samples were collected from 29 patients and 40 healthy individuals. One sample was sent using PTS and the other was carried by personnel to the lab for determination of protrombin time, activated partial thromboplastin time, trombin time, fibrinogen, antitrombin and thrombin generation test. Platelet function was measured by means of a Apact 4004® analyzer using the inductors (ADP, Arachidonic acid and Epinephrine). Samples transported using PTS with normal transport speed 6 m/s does not affect basic coagulation tests (PT, aPTT, FIB, TT and AT), but TGT has significantly altered. The use of PTS with controlled acceleration regulated the increase in thrombin generation from 10% to 3%, which is not statistically signifiant. The use of PTS with controlled acceleration did not show a significant difference even with the highly sensitive method of platelet aggregation. We conclude that PTS with acceleration control with transport speed from 3 to 6 m/s does not affect to platelet activity as measured by LTA and also global coagulation test - TGT. The advantage of PTS transport is very rapid assessment laboratory testing. From the above validation study, it is clear that PTS should always be validated for specialized laboratory methods and appropriately adapted to specific transport conditions.

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Funding

Supported by grant LF-2020-002 and MH CZ - DRO (FNOl, 00098892).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hemato-Oncology, Palacký University Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry and University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Luděk Slavík, Jana Úlehlová, Pavla Bradáčová, Kateřina Chasáková, Antonín Hluší & Miroslava Palová

  2. Department of Blood Transfusion, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic

    Alice Entrová

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  1. Luděk Slavík
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  2. Jana Úlehlová
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  3. Pavla Bradáčová
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  4. Kateřina Chasáková
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  5. Antonín Hluší
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  6. Miroslava Palová
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  7. Alice Entrová
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Correspondence to Luděk Slavík.

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Slavík, L., Úlehlová, J., Bradáčová, P. et al. The Modern Pneumatic Tube System Transports with Reduced Speed Does Not Affect Special Coagulation Tests. J Med Syst 44, 142 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-020-01614-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-020-01614-6

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