Quick or Owren prothrombin time methods: possibilities and limitations (literature review)

Background. To treat patients with hypocoagulation, an objective assessment of the hemostasis system is mandatory. Owren prothrombin time method is rare in Ukrainian hospitals. Objective: in this review, we describe Quick and Owren prothrombin time methods, advantages and limitations of each of them in the treatment of patients with liver failure or anticoagulant users. Materials and methods. Advanced literature search was completed in PubMed, linked with MEDLINE database in English and Google Scholar in Ukrainian. Results. Thirty-four articles met search criteria and were included in the literature review. Conclusions. We can’t compare Quick and Owren prothrombin time methods in seconds and percentages because of different dilution methods. Quick prothrombin time method is more widespread due to the lower costs. Owren prothrombin time method has advantages in patients with hepatobiliar disorders, anticoagulant users and for optimization of the diagnosis of chronic liver failure according to the MELD score for liver transplantation.