When Diagnosing Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, Speed Is Critical

An assay with turnaround time <1 hour demonstrated excellent sensitivity and negative predictive value.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) requires empirical therapy with plasma exchange, steroids, and occasionally the nanobody caplacizumab (if the hematologist's clinical suspicion is intermediate or high). Therapy is continued if activity of ADAMTS13 confirms the diagnosis or discontinued when testing rules out the condition. Because testing turnaround at most institutions can take several days, commercial assays with rapid turnaround time (i.e., <1 hour) have been developed. To evaluate the performance of three such tests, investigators conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis (19 studies, 4207 test samples) that compared rapid assays to reference standards.

All three rapid assays demonstrated high sensitivity and negative pred…

Reviewing Author

Brady L. Stein, MD, MHS

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Hematology (Senior Editor, ASH Self-Assessment Program; guideline development)

Brady L. Stein, MD, MHS

Disclosures

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesAmerican Society of Hematology (Senior Editor, ASH Self-Assessment Program; guideline development)

When Diagnosing Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, Speed Is Critical

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Reviewing Author