Pefaclot UFH is a powerful and economic kit to monitor unfractionated heparin (UFH) in patient plasma samples. It has been outlined in several studies that Pefaclot UFH shows excellent reproducibility, accuracy and lot to lot consistency. Pefaclot UFH shows superior accuracy when compared to aPTT and excellent correlation to anti-FXa measurement at a much lower cost(1). It has been shown that Pefaclot UFH routine monitoring was associated with a significantly (p=0.035) reduced daily dose of administered UFH (median 27’000U/day with aPTT vs 25’000U/day with Pefaclot UFH)(2). Data suggest that monitoring with Pefaclot UFH is analytically more accurate and allows more precise dosing. The higher precision and reliability during the induction phase but also for dosing adjustment may result in a reduced number of venipunctures.  As a consequence, the obtained results lead to an overall shorter turnaround time for UFH administration compared to aPTT. Furthermore, the reduced number of tests needed during UFH administration reduces the time spent for lab technicians. The improved UFH administration with reduced doses of needed UFH has the potential to reduce the bleeding risk as well as the risk of developing HIT (heparin induced thrombocytopenia) for patients because of the lower exposure to UFH. In addition to fewer tests being performed, Pefaclot UFH may lead to even more savings as a consequence of lower doses of UFH being administered and fewer blood collection tubes and other consumables. The potential of lower bleeding risk may also reduce the overall duration of the hospital stay. Pefaclot UFH relies on the activation of plasma at the level of the prothrombinase complex and measures the clotting time in seconds. The clotting time is then directly linked to the UFH concentration in the sample. Pefaclot UFH is optimized to give strong clotting signals on optical instruments, but also demonstrates excellent reproducibility on mechanical instruments. It can be applied to all major routine analysers (e.g. from Stago, Siemens, Sysmex, Instrumentation Laboratory).

References
<sup>1. Bürki S, Brand B, Escher R et al. Accuracy, reproducibility and costs of different laboratory assays for the monitoring of unfractionated heparin in clinical practice: a prospective evaluation study and survey among Swiss institutions. BMJ Open 2018:8:e022943
2. Korte W, Graf L, Knöpfel C. Replacing the aPTT for monitoring of unfractionated heparin with the Prothrombinase induced Clotting Time (PiCT) – significant influence on dosing. GTH 2017 (Abstract 663)</sup>

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