T he coagulation analyzer and its tests play an important role in clinical laboratories. Coagulation tests are used quite commonly for the diagnosis of coagulopathies, the management of surgical processes, and the monitoring of anticoagulant medication [1][2][3]. The most recommended tests to evaluate coagulation are prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen, and D-dimer. It is important that the new analyzers installed in the laboratory are evaluated for precision and compared with the existing analyzers. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the performance characteristics of PT, aPTT, fibrinogen, and Ddimer tests measured using the Diagon Coag XL (Diagon Ltd., Budapest, Hungary) coagulation analyzer.
Objectives:We compared prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen, and Ddimer test results measured using the Diagon Coag XL coagulation analyzer with Cobas t 511 analyzer.Methods: Imprecision studies were performed for the PT, aPTT, fibrinogen, and D-dimer tests used by the Diagon Coag XL analyzer. For the comparison study, we used the leftover citrated plasma from patient samples after routine analysis with Cobas t 511. All of the results were analyzed using the correlation coefficient and Passing-Bablok regression analysis.Results: Total coefficient of variation obtained for all tests were within the criteria for acceptance. The method comparison study showed a good correlation between the results obtained on Diagon Coag XL and Cobas t 511 analyzers, except for aPTT test. The correlation coefficients obtained were 0.98 for PT, INR, and D-dimer, 0.95 for fibrinogen, and 0.80 for aPTT.
Conclusion:For PT, aPTT, fibrinogen, and D-dimer tests, Diagon Coag XL analyzer is suitable for monitoring the coagulation system, and it can be used in clinical laboratories. However, the precision values of tests stated by the manufacturer must be verified.