Emerging technologies in hemostasis diagnostics: A report from the Australasian Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis Emerging Technologies Group

Abstract

Technology in hemostasis laboratories has evolved enormously during the last 30 years. Although many scientists and clinicians will remember the traditional tilt-tube techniques to screen for coagulation abnormalities and to monitor anticoagulant therapy, the hemostasis laboratory today uses a variety of modern technologies. These include flow cytometry, chromogenic assays, molecular typing (e.g., polymerase chain reaction), immunologic assays (e.g., enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays), functional assays of specific coagulation proteins, and platelet function analyzers. Although these advances in technology have resulted in greater capability, productivity, sensitivity, specificity, and ultimately, improvement in the clinical care of patients, controversies and limitations remain. This article highlights new and emerging technologies in hemostasis and discusses whether they have improved or are likely to improve laboratory diagnostics by specifically addressing the following: (1) Can new technologies help predict likelihood of thrombosis recurrence? (2) Has an understanding of the role of a disintegrin-like and metalloprotease with thrombospondin type 1 motifs (ADAMTS13) in microangiopathy resulted in improved diagnostic methods for this disorder? (3) Does thrombelastography allow better definition of bleeding risk than conventional hemostasis assays, especially in settings of acute hemostatic pathology?