The doctor said my friend who was in a car accident had a blood test
that showed "Prolonged PPT" what does that mean exactly?

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Request for Question Clarification by markj-ga on 26 Mar 2005 17:51 PST

momsara --

Are you that the term is "Prolonged PPT" and not "Prolonged PTT"?


markj-ga

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Clarification of Question by momsara-ga on 29 Mar 2005 05:02 PST

My friend's sister wrote down the things she read on his chart. If you
can't find the answer, it's ok, he seems to be getting a little better
every day! -

The doctor almost certainly meant "prolonged PTT."  PTT is the blood's
partial thromboplastin time - e.g., the time it takes blood to clot. 
(See http://www.chclibrary.org/micromed/00060030.html).  It is used to
identify causes of abnormal bleeding or to screen for the deficiency
of any blood clotting agents.  A prolonged PTT could indicate, among
other things: (a) such a deficiency; (b) the presence of liver or
kidney disease; (c) the presence of an immune disorder; or (d) simply
that the patient is taking a medication that increasing clotting time
(even aspirin).  See
http://my.webmd.com/hw/health_guide_atoz/hw203152.asp.