Describe the bleeding time test and its limitation

Describe the bleeding time test and its limitation.

The bleeding time test is a simple bedside test that evaluates both the quality and quantity of the platelets. A small skin nick is made with a template on the volar surface of the forearm and the time until the blood clots is measured. A bleeding time of less than 10 minutes is considered nor-mal. Anesthesiologists formerly used the bleeding time test to assess the safety of epidural or spinal anesthesia place-ment. They would only proceed if the result of the bleeding time test was normal. The bleeding time, however, is no longer recommended for determining the safety of epidural catheter placement because it does not necessarily reflect the risk of bleeding at other sites and there is wide observer variation. In one study, 12 observers assessed the bleeding time on five separate volunteers. The reliability of the meas-urements obtained was poor among the 12 observers and the authors concluded that the test is unreliable.