Coagulometer international sensitivity index (ISI) derivation, a rapid method using the prothrombin time/international normalized ratio (PT/INR) Line: a multicenter study

BACKGROUND: The original WHO procedure for prothrombin time (PT) standardization has been almost entirely abandoned because of the universal use of PT coagulometers. These often give different international normalized ratio (INR) results from the manual method, between individual makes of instruments and with instruments from the same manufacture. METHOD: A simple procedure is required to derive local INR with coagulometers. The PT/INR Line method has recently been developed using five European Concerted Action on Anticoagulation (ECAA) certified plasmas to derive local INR. This procedure has been modified to derive a coagulometer PT/INR Line providing International Sensitivity Index (ISI) and mean normal PT (MNPT) for coagulometers and give local INR. Results have been compared with conventional ISI calibrations at the same laboratories. RESULTS: With human thromboplastins, mean ISI by local calibration was 0.93 (range: 0.77-1.16). With the PT/INR Line, mean coagulometer ISI was higher, for example 0.99 (0.84-1.23) but using the PT/INR Line derived MNPT there was no difference in local INR. Between-centre INR variation of a certified validation plasma was reduced with human and bovine reagents after correction with local ISI calibrations and the PT/INR Line. CONCLUSION: The PT/INR Line-ISI with its derived MNPT is shown to provide reliable local INR with the 13 different reagent/coagulometer combinations at the 28 centres in this international study.