Abstract

A comparative study of Lee-White coagulation time and activated coagulation time (ACT) using celite in heparinized rabbits was carried out. Initially, baseline values of both tests were measured before heparin administration. Then, heparin of varying dose (200unit/kg b.w. in one and 1000unit/kg b.w. in the other) were injected. Exactly after one hour, coagulation time and ACT were measured simultaneously using three syringe technic. Since then, coagulation time and ACT were measured at an hour interval every hour after heparin injection through 9 hour thereafter. Lee-White method was observed to be unstable and fluctuating, and to be poor measure for heparin monitoring. Values of ACT plotted on semilogarithmic graph, however, revealed linear drop reflecting semilogarithmic decay of anticoagulant effect of heparin injected. These observations were consistent with those observations of Hattersley, Bull and others, who said that ACT Precisely reflected semilogarithmic decay of heparin injected and preferred ACT to conventional Lee-White coagulation time in many clinical use including control of heparin therapy in various conditions.