Patent ID: 8293493
Filing Date: 2012-10-23
Classification: C12Q

Abstract:
1. A method for measuring a generation of thrombin in a sample of whole blood as a function of time, the method comprising: providing a sample of whole blood; adding a fluorogenic substrate and a thrombin activator to the sample of whole blood to form an activated sample; forming a conversion product in the activated whole blood sample resulting from the fluorogenic substrate adding step; providing a fluorescence detector for reading emitted fluorescence; selecting an extended reading range mode of the fluorescence detector for measuring emitted fluorescence resulting in values of measured fluorescence units significantly above those values resulting from a typical operating reading range mode of the fluorescence detector; selecting a sensitivity of the fluorescence detector sufficient for delivering stable and consistent measurements within a signal quenching environment of red blood cells; measuring fluorescence as a function of time from a fluorescent group released during the formation of the conversion product with the fluorescence detector operating in the extended reading range mode of fluorescence readings and having the selected sensitivity; and calculating thrombin generation as a function of time from the fluorescence measuring step, wherein the combination of the extended reading range mode and the increased sensitivity results in fluorescence traces that allow the thrombin generation calculating step to provide a thrombin generation parameter of at least one of a peak value, a time to peak value, and an endogenous potential (ETP).