RAPID FIBRINOGEN DETERMINATION WITH THE PROTHROMBIN TIME USING A POTENTIOPHOTOMETER

The potentiophotometer (PTPH) is a spectrophotometric device that embo dies the electrical, analog solution to Beer's Law. The output of the instrument gives, directly and simultaneously, the concentration of th e substance being measured. The PTPH has been applied to the manual de termination of fibrinogen (FBG) with the same thrombopalstin injection as the prothrombin time (PT). We have now semi-automated and computer ized the PTPH to constitute the coagulation instrument named POTENS+. POTENS+ determines the FBG rapidly, within approximately three to twen ty seconds after the PT. With POTENS+, precision, linearity and refere nce range will be given for its FBG method. The accuracy of POTENS+ wi ll be assessed by comparing it with both automated FBG methods on the MLA(TM)Electra 1000C(TM) Coagulation Timer. Of these two methods, the automated Clauss method is used as the reference method.