Patent ID: 7785820
Filing Date: 2010-08-31
Classification: G01N

Abstract:
1. A method for determining the endogenous thrombin potential (ETP) of a sample of coagulating blood or plasma, comprising a) contacting a thrombin substrate with the sample of coagulating blood or plasma, b) allowing cleavage of the thrombin substrate to occur, c) measuring turnover kinetics of the thrombin substrate as a function of time, wherein the turnover kinetics comprise a saturation phase, and wherein the saturation phase comprises a linear region, and d) determining the ETP; wherein the ETP is determined by: i) determining the linear region of the saturation phase of the turnover kinetics within a time window, ii) calculating the slope of the linear region of part (i), which slope corresponds to the slope of α iii) iteratively determining the binding constant of thrombin to α iv) determining values of the kinetics of free thrombin by iv) determining the raw ETP value by averaging the values of the kinetics of free thrombin in the linear region of the saturation phase of the turnover kinetics.