Kanamycin Supplement for the Disaggregation of Platelet Clumps in EDTA-Dependent Pseudothrombocytopenia Specimens

Objective To indicate the ability to disaggregate platelet clumps by vortex mixing and kanamycin supplementation in EDTA-dependent pseudothrombocytopenia (EDTA-PTCP) specimens. Materials and Methods For patients with EDTA-PTCP, citrate-anticoagulated, primary EDTA-anticoagulated, vortex-mixed, and kanamycin-treated specimens were tested for complete blood count and platelet-related parameters. Results Forty-eight specimens were included. Nineteen (39.6%) of the vortex-mixed specimens and 42 (87.5%) of the kanamycin-treated specimens revealed platelet counts more than those of the primary EDTA specimens, with levels exceeding 100 x 10(9)/L. The platelet count and platelet recovery of the kanamycin-treated specimens were higher than those of the vortex-mixed specimens. Conclusion Kanamycin supplementation to EDTA-PTCP blood may be considered as an alternative approach when the recollection of specimens is impractical. Only platelet-related parameters from kanamycin treatment were suitable for guiding patient management. Further studies about the impact of these methods in patients with various conditions, such as in patients with advanced kidney disease, should be conducted.