ACT Machine
Activated Clotting Time Monitor · ACT Monitor · Point-of-Care Coagulation Analyzer · Hemochron · HemoTec
A small handheld or tabletop analyzer with a keypad and a display. A drop of whole blood goes into a test cuvette or cartridge that is slid into the machine, and the clottingKLOT-ingThe process by which blood thickens into a gel to plug a damaged vessel and stop bleeding; also called coagulation.Full entry time shows on the screen in minutes.
On the table
What it does, the lengths it comes in and what experienced techs know about it.
What it’s for
Measures activated clottingKLOT-ingThe process by which blood thickens into a gel to plug a damaged vessel and stop bleeding; also called coagulation.Full entry time (ACT) at the bedside to check that heparinHEP-uh-rinAn anticoagulant drug, given by injection or IV, that keeps blood clots from forming or growing.Full entry is working. It is used in cardiac surgery on bypass, ECMO and VAD cases, and in endovascular and vascular cases such as TEVAR where heparin is given and the ACT is followed.
Lengths and variants
Handheld batteryBAT-uh-reeIn law, touching a person on purpose without their consent.Full entry units and larger tabletop units; some also run PTpee-TEE (said as letters)An abbreviation with two common meanings: physical therapy (or therapist), or prothrombin time, a blood clotting test.Full entry and APTT tests on the same machine.
What experienced techs know
What techs who reach for it every day know about it.Pro
Through the case
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- Before the case
Inspection and testing
What to check before it reaches the field.Pro
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3 sources
- Basics of cardiopulmonary bypass (Anticoagulation), Indian J Anaesth 2017, pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- STS/SCA/AmSECT Clinical Practice Guidelines: Anticoagulation During Cardiopulmonary Bypass, p. 3
- somatechnology.com
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