Summary
The Simplate II-R and the Simplate Paediatric, are two new Simplate bleeding time
devices with retractable blades. In this study we compared the Simplate II-R with
the Simplate II bleeding time and found a good correlation when performed by the same
technician both in 30 healthy volunteers and in 7 patients with prolonged bleeding
time. The same normal ranges may be applied for the Simplate II-R as for the Simplate
II bleeding time. The Simplate II-R bleeding time was highly reproducible in healthy
volunteers when performed by the same technician. We found no correlation between
age and bleeding time, and no significant difference in bleeding time between males
and females.
We performed the Simplate Paediatric bleeding time test and calculated the normal
ranges in 84 healthy children in 4 age groups: 3 days, 3 months, 1 year and 3–6 years
of age. The Simplate Paediatric bleeding times were shorter in the children than the
Simplate II-R bleeding times in the adults. We found no significant correlation between
bleeding time and the inverse platelet count, and no significant difference in bleeding
time between boys and girls. The retractable blades in the Simplate II-R and the Simplate
Paediatric reduce the risk of accidental cuts. Both devices yield reproducible bleeding
time measurements and can be used instead of older Simplate variants.
