Platelet adhesion test

Platelet function test: Platelet adhesion testing opens up the possibility of measuring platelet function in whole blood. One method for this is the so-called PADA (platelet adhesion assay).

This method is suitable for monitoring therapy with glycoprotein IIb/GPIIIa antagonists and ADP antagonists.

The PADA test can be used as a bedside test or point-of-care test and quantitatively measures platelet adhesiveness. The principle of the method is that special polymer particles of defined size are added to citrate-anticoagulated whole blood. The fibrinogen in the sample attaches itself to these particles and thus binds the platelets. The adhesion function is activated by shear stress, which imitates the shear stress under physiological conditions. The number of thrombocytes is measured with and without particles and from this an adhesion index is calculated, which can provide information about the functional state of the platelets.

A variant of the adhesion test is the PPA (cone and platelet analyser, Veron). This requires a higher technical effort than the PADA and does not record the current physiological functional state of the thrombocytes.

1. HA Neumann (2014) The coagulation system. ABW-Science Publishing House GmbH Berlin.