Effect of Aspirin on the Thrombelastogram of Human Blood

Summary

Thrombelastograms of both native blood and re-calcified platelet-rich plasma samples taken from subjects given a single oral dose of aspirin (1 gram) were not significantly different from the pretreatment recordings. Aspirin also did not modify the thrombelastogram when preincubated in vitro with platelet-rich plasma at concentrations inhibiting the platelet “release reaction” by collagen. Thrombelastography therefore cannot evaluate the effect of aspirin on platelet function.

^* Present address: Laboratory for Haemostasis and Thrombosis Research, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche “Mario Negri”, Via Eritrea 62, 20157 Milano, Italy.

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