HERMANN TEST CODE: 25-00277
CPT CODE: 85635
SPECIMEN REQUIREMENT: 5 mL blood (minimum 4.5 ml), blue top tube (sodium citrate), mixed well.
TEST AVAILABILITY: Performed by Coagulation Section in Hermann Laboratory, 24 hours/ day, 7 days/ week. Reporting time in 3 hours.
METHODOLOGY: Clot-based testing
CLINICAL UTILIZATION: Confirming the presence of Heparin
REFERENCE RANGE: Within 2 sec of normal control
INTERPRETATION:
Reptilase is a thrombin-like enzyme that differs from thrombin in its specificity and extent of cleavage of the fibrinogen molecule. Reptilase is inhibited only slightly or not at all by Heparin and fibrin degradation product (FDP), thus making it useful in the differential diagnosis of a prolonged thrombin time (TT).
A reptilase time is only needed in the presence of a prolonged thrombin time. In this case, if the reptilase time is normal, the presence of heparin is confirmed. If it is prolonged, heparin can be excluded and other causes of prolonged thrombin time may be pursued such as: hypofibrinogenemia and dysfibrinogenemia. Also, other more common tests can be used in place of Reptilase Time to confirm the presence of heparin: prolonged PTT, normal PT, prolonged PTT with 1:1 mixing.
LITERATURE:
