Bleeding Time Test

Duke, Ivy, Mielke, simplate, or template bleeding time tests.

To test for a bleeding problem.

Surface bleeding is induced, and the time from initial blood flow until clotting is measured.

You must not take aspirin for 10 days before the test.

• The test site is cleaned with alcohol.
• The earlobe or forearm is punctured or lanced. (If the forearm is used, a blood pressure cuff is placed above the elbow and slightly inflated.)
• A stopwatch is started, and the wound is blotted with filter paper every 30 seconds. When the blood flow stops, the stopwatch is stopped.

The test sites are cleaned and bandaged. You return to normal activities.

• Anti-inflammatory drugs and antihistamines.
• Low platelet count.
• Skin problems.

The normal bleeding time range is two to seven minutes (shorter in men than in women and shorter in people over 50). A longer time can indicate a disorder involving platelets or fibrinogen (a protein required for clot formation). Blood vessel diseases (scurvy) also produce an increased bleeding time.

It's a quick procedure that provides immediate results.

• It involves minor pain from puncture or incision.
• There is variation in test results because of an inability to strictly standardize the depth of the incision.

• If results are normal, no further testing is necessary.
• If results are abnormal and a clotting factor problem is suspected, coagulation tests (clotting factor assays) are done to confirm or rule out such disorders as Von Willebrand disease. If these assays are normal, platelet aggregation testing is recommended.
• If an abnormality in the blood vessel walls is suspected, a capillary fragility test is done.