With the A-100 system, a small sample of unprocessed whole blood from a standard blue top tube (citrate) is simply added to the disposable test cartridge that contains the freeze-dried test reagent. The system automatically conducts the test, and in a few minutes, the results are displayed on the A-100 screen.
The numerical result is termed “Platelet Activity Index”, abbreviated “PAI”, and gives an indication of the relative tendency of an individual’s platelets to aggregate.
Clinically, in determining whether or not an anti-platelet drug is working appropriately to cause platelet dysfunction in a patient, the PAI value is compared to a “cut-point” value. If the observed PAI is below the cut-point, then the determination is made that platelet dysfunction exists. If the observed PAI is above the cut-point, then the determination is made that platelet dysfunction is absent.