Platelet concentration factor
Concentration factor is how many times the platelet count in the final product exceeds the patient's whole-blood baseline, written for example as 5x. It is a property of the protocol and the patient, never of the machine alone.
What the multiple hides
Figure. Concentration factor is a multiple of the patient's own baseline, and baseline varies with age, sex, nutrition, hydration and health. A protocol reported at 5x will not produce the same absolute platelet count in every patient, and it is absolute count that reaches the tissue.
In practice
Because baseline platelet count varies with age, sex, nutrition, hydration, and health, a protocol reported at 5x baseline in a study will not produce the same absolute platelet count in every patient. Absolute count, not multiple, is what reaches the tissue.
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)PRP is plasma with a platelet concentration above whole-blood baseline, produced by centrifuging a patient's own blood.
- ThrombocyteA thrombocyte is a platelet.
- HaematocritHaematocrit is the proportion of blood volume occupied by red cells, typically around fortythree percent.