6.1 Bleeding and Clotting Time

• What is the typical duration of bleeding time when piercing the finger or ear lobe?

  1 to 6 minutes
• What factors influence the duration of bleeding time?

  Depth of the wound and hyperemia degree
• What can prolong bleeding time significantly?

  Lack of platelets
• What is the normal range for clotting time?

  6 to 10 minutes
• What is the most widely used method for determining blood clotting times?

  Collecting blood in a clean glass test tube
• How often should the test tube be tipped during the clotting time test?

  Every 30 seconds
• Why is clotting time no longer widely used in many clinics?

  It varies widely depending on measurement method
• What is now preferred over measuring clotting time in clinics?

  Measurements of the clotting factors themselves
• What type of procedures are used to measure clotting factors?

  Sophisticated chemical procedures