Accumetrics公司推出血小板功能快速检测方法

 
 
一种新型血液检测方法用于快速方便地检测Plavix (clopidogrel)对血小板的影响，血小板主要在血液凝结中发挥作用。

在美国大约有1千万人服用Plavix来预防心脏病和脑卒中发作。Plavix主要是通过抑制血小板功能来发挥对心血管的作用。但是，新的研究结果显示有5-30%的患者对药物的反应不充分。没有药物反应的患者罹患严重心血管事件和冠状动脉阻塞的危险更大。VerifyNow P2Y12检测方法能够在不到15分钟的时间内发现药物无反应者，而且能够帮助确定某些患者是否能够安全的接受手术治疗。

美国西北大学Feinberg医学院(Chicago, IL, USA)神经科教授Mark Alberts医生说：“Plavix能够有效地防止脑卒中和心脏病的发作，但是在特定比例的患者中，Plavix稀释血液的作用并没有达到最佳状态。VerifyNow检测方法为医生提供了一项重要工具，从而有效鉴别出这些患者并计划恰当的治疗方案。”

医学指南大纲建议这些患者在接受手术之前5天停止服用Plavix，以确保凝血功能恢复至正常以减少术中和术后大量出血的危险。这就意味着手术经常被延期。VerifyNow检测方法是Accumetrics (San Diego, CA, USA)公司研制开发的，该公司同时制造并向市场推广这种检测方法。该公司指出VerifyNow是唯一快速检测血小板功能的方法，与临床预后转归密切相关。

Blood Test for Plavix Users
 
A new blood test is designed to quickly and easily measure the effects of Plavix (clopidogrel) on platelets, which are primarily responsible for clotting.

Almost 10 million people in the United States alone take Plavix to help prevent a heart attack or stroke. Inhibiting the function of platelets is how Plavix exerts its cardiovascular effects. However, new research shows that five-30% of patients do not respond adequately to the drug. People who are unresponsive are at much greater risk for a serious cardiovascular event as well as blockage of coronary stents. The VerifyNow P2Y12 test in less than 15 minutes can not only indicate nonresponders but also help determine if it is safe for some patients to undergo surgery.

“Plavix is a very effective medication for preventing strokes and heart attacks,” noted Mark Alberts, M.D., professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (Chicago, IL, USA). “However, in a certain percentage of patients, the blood thinning effects of Plavix may not be optimal. The VerifyNow test provides physicians with an important tool to help identify these patients and plan appropriate therapy.”

Medical guidelines recommend that patients stop taking Plavix five days prior to surgery in order to enable clotting function to return to normal and to reduce the risk of excessive bleeding during or after the operation. This means that surgery must often be delayed. The VerifyNow test was developed by Accumetrics (San Diego, CA, USA), which also manufactures and markets the test. The company notes that VerifyNow is the only rapid platelet function test shown to correlate with clinical outcomes.