OBJECT

To determine the bleeding point by duke’s method.

REQUIREMENTS
 Piece of filter paper
 Lancet (pricker)
 Cotton
 Stop watch
 Ethanol 75 %

THEORY
Bleeding Time (Definition)
Bleeding time is a crude test of hemostasis (the arrest or stopping of bleeding). It indicates how
well platelets interact with blood vessel walls to form blood clots.

Why do we take this test?

Bleeding time is a laboratory test to assess platelet function and the body’s ability to form a clot.
The test involves making a puncture wound in a superficial area of the skin and monitoring the
time needed for bleeding to stop (ie, bleeding site turns "glassy"). It is most often used to detect
qualitative defects of platelets, such as Von Willebrand's disease. The test helps identify people
who have defects in their platelet function. This is the ability of blood to clot following a wound
or trauma. Normally, platelets interact with the walls of blood vessels to cause a blood clot.
There are many factors in the clotting mechanism, and they are initiated by platelets. The
bleeding time test is usually used on patients who have a history of prolonged bleeding after cuts,
or who have a family history of bleeding disorders. Also, the bleeding time test is sometimes
performed as a preoperative test to determine a patient's likely bleeding response during and after
surgery. However, in patients with no history of bleeding problems, or who are not taking anti-
inflammatory drugs, the bleeding time test is not usually necessary.

Duke’s method
Principle
The bleeding time is a time it takes for a small standardized wound, introduced in a capillary bed
of the finger, to stop bleeding. It is dependent upon the elasticity of the skin and the capillary
vessels, the efficiency of the tissue fluids and the mechanical and chemical action of
thrombocytes (blood platelets).

1
METHOD:

Finger of a subject is sterilized with spirit and pricked with sterilized needle. Time of pricking is
noted. Take the stain of the punctured point on a filter paper on 30 second and keep taking stain
of blood in 20 second intervals until the bleeding stops. The time of no stain has come is noted
properly; it is the bleeding time of the subject

Reference Ranges
The reference range for this test is between 2-7 minutes. In cases in which the BT exceeds 20
minutes it is usual to stop at 20 minutes and report the BT as >20minutes.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The observed Bleeding time is 60 s.
The test is dependent upon an adequate number of functionally
active platelets that can adhere to the endothelium to form aggregates.
The bleeding time test is a useful too for testing platelet plug formation
in the capillaries. It is generally used in conjunction with other
coagulation tests such as the prothrombin time, activated partial
thromboplastin time, platelet count, fibrinogen and fibrin degradation
products (FDP) to aid in the diagnosis of patients suspected of
having a bleeding disorder.