An Optimized and Standardized Rapid Flow Cytometry Functional Method for Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia

Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a thrombocytopenia caused by heparin and mediated by an atypical immune mechanism leading to a paradoxical high thrombotic risk, associated with severe morbidity or death. The diagnosis of HIT combines a clinical scoring of pretest probability and laboratory testing. First-line routine tests are antigen binding assays detecting specific antibodies. The most sensitive of these tests have a high HIT-negative predictive value enabling HIT diagnosis to be ruled out when negative. However, HIT-positive predictive value is low, and a functional assay evaluating the pathogenicity of the antibodies should be performed to exclude false-positive results. In contrast to screening assays, functional assays are highly specific but technically challenging, and are thus performed in referral laboratories, where platelet activation is detected using radioactive serotonin (serotonin release assay, SRA) or visually (heparin-induced platelet activation, HIPA). Flow cytometry is a possible alternative. It is, however, currently not widely used, mostly because of the lack of standardization of the published assays. This article describes and discusses the standardization of a HIT flow cytometry assay (HIT-FCA) method, which subsequently led to the development and commercialization of a CE-marked assay (HIT Confirm(R), Emosis, France) as a suitable rapid HIT functional test.

Automated summary

HIT is a thrombocytopenia caused by heparin with a paradoxical high thrombotic risk, and its diagnosis involves clinical scoring and laboratory testing, with antigen binding assays being the first-line routine tests and functional assays being necessary to exclude false-positive results. Flow cytometry is a possible alternative to detect platelet activation, but lacks standardization.