Methods in dose response platelet aggregometry.

A standardized method for performing dose response platelet aggregation has been developed, and has been used in about 1000 subjects in a large prospective study of ischaemic heart disease. A computer program has been used to fit a sigmoidal relationship between primary aggregation response rate and the log dose of aggregating reagent. Estimates of the parameters of the sigmoid curve are used to characterize an individual's platelet aggregability. Methods for investigating the maintenance of long-term quality control have also been developed.