Activated Partial Thromboplastin Time

Abbreviation: aPTT

Panel: Blood Clotting (Coagulation) · All clotting tests

Typical adult reference range

Conventional units25–35 sec
SI units25–35 sec

Ranges vary between laboratories and methods — compare your result with the range printed on your own report.

What a high or low result can mean

High activated partial thromboplastin time: prolonged values can be seen with heparin use, factor deficiencies, and lupus anticoagulant.

Low activated partial thromboplastin time: short values are not usually clinically significant.

These are associations, not a diagnosis: the same result can have several causes, and your clinician interprets it with the rest of your results and history.

Good to know

Normal ranges vary between laboratories and reagents.

Please note: Reference ranges vary between laboratories, and between the methods and instruments they use — the range printed on your own report is the one your result should be compared with. A result outside the range is not by itself a diagnosis, and a result inside it does not rule out illness. These pages are an educational summary, not medical advice: always discuss your results with the clinician who ordered them, who can interpret them in the context of your health and history.