Overuse of prothrombin and partial thromboplastin coagulation tests in medical inpatients

The review of the records of 50 medical inpatients found that PT and PTT were invariably requested together, despite a lack of indication. The 50 patients incurred a total of $2434 in unneeded costs. If representative of common clinical practice, significant cost savings may be possible. Education, computerization, and information on costs of individual tests may reduce unneeded investigations.