SYNOPSIS A prospective, randomized trial is described in which the usefulness of two tests in the control of anticoagulant therapy is compared. Fifty-two patients were controlled by the one-stage prothrombin time and 55 by the activated partial thromboplastin time. There was no significant difference in the incidence of bleeding between the two groups. When bleeding did occur, it was more often reflected by prolongation of the prothrombin time than of the activated partial thromboplastin time. The prothrombin time was found to have some practical advantages over the activated partial thromboplastin time.It is well known that current methods for the control of anticoagulant therapy are not very satisfactory (Pollard, Hamilton, Christensen, and Achor, 1962) and minor bleeding episodes have become an accepted hazard of treatment.The coumarin and indanedione drugs exert their anticoagulant effect by inhibiting the synthesis of clotting factors II, VII, IX, and X. The test most widely used to control anticoagulant therapy is the one-stage prothrombin time based on Quick's technique (Poller, 1969). This test is sensitive to deficiency of factors II, V, VII, and X but is insensitive to a deficiency of factor IX (Denson, 1961).Haemorrhagic complications may occur when the prothrombin time is within the desired therapeutic range (Pollard et al, 1962), and this is a common clinical observation. Eastham (1968) (Nye, Graham, and Brinkhous, 1962). This paper reports the results of a controlled trial of anticoagulant therapy where half the patients were controlled using the one-stage prothrombim technique and the others by the activated partial thromboplastin time.
Materials and MethodsOne hundred and seven patients were admitted to the trial; they were randomly allocated to be controlled by one-stage prothrombin time (group A) or