Poor reproducibility of template bleeding time in horses.

The research study evaluates the ineffectiveness of the Template Bleeding Time (TBT) test, a method to assess platelet function disorders in horses, due to its poor reproducibility and inability to detect effects of certain drugs on platelet function.

Research Objective

In the study, the researchers purposed to test the reproducibility and sensitivity of TBT on horses. They especially wanted to assess if TBT effectively ascertains the impact of a drug called etamsylate on platelet functionality.

Methodology

• The study was performed on twenty healthy horses.
• Researchers carried out the TBT test and repeated it twice, once after 2 hours and again 30 days later. They also executed the TBT test 2 hours after administering etamsylate intravenously to the horses.

Results

• When looking at TBT values obtained at different times, the team saw no significant differences. However, the variation rates for the TBT repeats were quite wide, ranging from 26.8% to 45.5%, indicating poor reproducibility.
• The determined reference range for TBT in horses was between 138.4 to 860.4 seconds, which is a wide range that undermines the test’s precision and value in a clinical setting.
• The researchers did not observe any statistically significant shortening in the average TBT value post-etamsylate administration. This indicates that TBT may not effectively measure the effect of specific drugs on platelet function.

Conclusions

The study findings indicate that TBT has a low reproducibility rate in horses and a wide reference range, making it less useful in detecting platelet function disorders in a clinical setting. The study suggests that alternatives with higher reproducibility should be considered to assess platelet function disorders in horses.